Although it sounds a bit abstract, consumer electronics giant Apple believes that potential users will use AirPods headphones to detect heart rate and potential heart risks. According to a report from the well-known Apple news platform 9to5mac on Friday, combining the code in the iOS18 beta system, Apple’s patent application and information from well-known tipsters, Apple is preparing to equip the next generation TWS headset with a health sensor that can measure heart rate.
The initial source of this news was Apple’s iOS beta system code. The following paragraph was found in the system component that manages wireless headset settings:
“Wear two earbuds during workouts to track and send your heart rate to Apple Health. Manage in Bluetooth settings.
People familiar with the matter said that Apple will be equipped with this health sensor in AirPods Pro 3 released next year, and the next generation Powerbeats Pro is also expected to receive the same upgrade. According to Apple's upgrade cycle, almost three years passed between the first two generations of AirPods Pro, and AirPods Pro 3 may have to wait until next fall.
How do headphones detect heart disease?
It’s not uncommon for wearable devices to measure heart rate, but identifying “cardiac pathology” through microphones in the ear canal is indeed quite new.
According to PatentlyApple, which specializes in reporting on Apple's patent applications, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially released Apple's patent application for "System and Method for Detecting Heart Pathology" this week. The accompanying picture shows the use of AirPods and AirPods Max to detect heart problems.
(Source: PatentlyApple)
The patent application states that a device containing a microphone can be inserted into the user's ear or worn on the ear. The signals generated by the microphones can be processed to determine the user's heart activity, and by applying predictive algorithms, indicators of cardiac pathology can be detected.
At the same time, the patent application also mentions that in addition to acoustic sensors, this function can also call electrodes or PPG sensors, which means that there is a way for AirPods and Apple Watch to detect heart problems together.
In Apple's definition, cardiac pathology includes a range of conditions, including blood vessel disease (coronary artery disease), heart rhythm problems (arrhythmia), heart defects (congenital heart disease), heart valve disease, myocardial disease, heart infections, and more.
By applying filters, infrasound and ultrasound signals in cardiac activity can be sensed and processed into signals of heartbeat or other movements (blood flow) to provide a series of heart-related information.
In practical applications, the simplest detection results include bradycardia and tachycardia, and some more complex detections can also be achieved through the above processing.
Apple mentioned in the patent application that it can compare the intensity difference and time difference between the first heart activity and the second heart activity to detect potential pathology. Detecting carotid artery blockage may involve the use of artificial neural networks to compare differences in the activity of two heartbeats. Diagnosis of such conditions is traditionally performed in hospitals using specialized equipment (duplex Doppler systems).