Future Apple Watches could offer an ingenious way to monitor your health thanks to smart bracelets

by Junna Base November 6, 2024

The Apple Watch tracks a variety of health metrics
Future Apple Watch models could have health sensors in the band
Apple may also bring this technology to the Vision Pro’s headband

The Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatches you can buy, and that’s partly because it’s good at measuring and improving your health. But Apple isn’t resting on its laurels, and it looks like the company plans to integrate medical sensors into the bands of future Apple Watch models – a nod to a handy blood pressure feature we recently saw on the Huawei Watch D2 have.

This information was brought to light in a recently published patent (number 12133743, discovered by Patently Apple). The patent, titled “Fabric-Based Articles with Stretchable Bands,” describes how sensors could be embedded into a stretchable fabric band and that these sensors could measure everything from blood pressure and electrocardiogram readings to respiratory rates and more. Apple already sells stretchy fabric bands for use as Apple Watch bands, suggesting this idea could be paired with the Apple Watch in the coming years.

And Apple doesn’t just have healthcare on its mind. The patent also explains that the circuitry inside the fabric could be used to receive wireless power, potentially allowing you to completely discharge your device remotely.

Or it could be used to “communicate wirelessly with external electronic devices,” potentially allowing the device to send and receive information when paired with an iPhone or a Mac.

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(Image credit: Future)

Not only does Apple believe this technology could be integrated into a smartwatch. It also says it could be used in almost any other item of clothing, including hats, gloves, sportswear and belts.

Most interestingly, the patent also suggests that the technology could work well in “a headband with elastic fabric.” This sounds very similar to the band used in the Vision Pro headset. Is it possible that Apple will build health measurement circuitry directly into the headband of the Vision Pro? It cannot be completely ruled out.

We know that Apple is considering integrating health features into its other devices, and rumors are circulating that upcoming versions of the AirPods will be able to measure various user health metrics. And the Apple Watch seems to gain more medical capabilities with each new version, so it doesn’t seem unusual that Apple is thinking about extending these features to other devices.

Apple isn’t the only company working on adding health monitoring to its smartwatch’s band – as mentioned, the Huawei Watch D2, for example, can track your blood pressure directly from the band.

While this latest revelation from Apple is just a patent – meaning Apple may simply be exploring ideas that will never actually be implemented – it may not be long before Apple follows in the footsteps of Huawei and its users brings noticeable health benefits.