Apple’s patents show the company may radically change the design and features of its future Apple Watches.
Liquid Metal and Audio
According to patentlyapple, the US Patent & Trademark Office published two patent applications from the tech giant that relate to Apple Watch. The first patent hints at the use of liquid metal (amorphous glass) for a higher-end material and a variety of polymers for lowering the cost on cheaper Apple Watches. The polymers could be used in forming a strong weave finish as noted in our cover graphic in the internal volume area. The other patent suggests Apple is attempting to advance audio in Apple Watch for voice and music playback without the use of AirPods.
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Gesture Control
A patent filed by Apple last year, revealed Apple’s intention to add gesture control to its Watches. The patent hinted at Apple Watch being configured to capture one or more images of the user’s veins and automatically determine a gesture and/or finger positions using images of the user’s veins. The hand gestures could be used for various applications including VR games, the patentlyapple report said.
Blood Oxygen Levels
Apple will likely continue expanding health and wellness features for its future Apple Watches. The Apple Watch 6 may have several health features. The big health feature, known as SPO2 tracking, would allow Apple Watch to gauge the user’s blood oxygen levels and alert them if it drops below a certain threshold. The Heart rate feature now available on Apple Watches, alerts the user if there’s an abnormally high, low or irregular heart rhythm indicative of atrial fibrillation (afib).
New Features for the Digital Crown
A patent filed by the company in February suggests Apple’s distinctive Digital Crown could get some new features. The digital crown could become touch or light-sensitive.
“The crown may include a light-directing feature configured to direct, onto the image-sensing element, an image of an object in contact with the imaging surface” says the filing. The crown could potentially detect the motion of your finger as you rotate or touch the crown.
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Smart Clothes
A patent filed by Apple suggests the tech giant is investigating integrate health monitoring technology into clothing. The patent application was published on October 3. It describes a soft, stretchable band potentially designed to be woven into fabric, and would be able to wirelessly communicate with external electronic equipment. Since the patent indicates the band will connect wirelessly to another device, it could mean a future iPhone or Apple Watch.
