Vratislav Holub The wearables segment is constantly growing. In this direction, smart watches are of great support, as they can greatly facilitate the daily life of their users, and at the same time keep an eye on their health. A great example is the Apple Watch. They can function as an extended hand of your iPhone, show you notifications or reply to messages, while at the same time offering a bunch of health functions. After all, he had already talked about it before Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, according to whom the future of the Apple Watch lies precisely in health and wellness. What news can we actually expect in the coming years?
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Pavel Jelic Apple Watch and health
Before we get to the possible future, let's take a quick look at what the Apple Watch can handle in the health field right now. Of course, health is related to a healthy lifestyle. Precisely for this reason, the watch can be used primarily for measuring sports activities, including swimming thanks to its water resistance. At the same time, there is also the possibility of measuring the heart rate, while the "watches" can alert you to an excessively high or low heart rate, or to an irregular heart rhythm.
A huge shift came with the Apple Watch Series 4, which was equipped with an EKG (electrocardiogram) sensor to detect atrial fibrillation. To make matters worse, the watch can also detect a heavy fall and call emergency services if necessary. Last year's generation added the option of monitoring blood oxygen saturation.
What will the future bring?
For a long time, there have been talks about the implementation of several other sensors that should move the Apple Watch several levels higher. We therefore summarize all potential sensors below. But whether we will see them in the near future is understandably unclear for the time being.
Sensor for measuring blood sugar level
Undoubtedly, the arrival of the sensor for measuring the level of glucose in the blood is gaining the most attention. Something similar would be an absolutely groundbreaking technology that would almost immediately gain favor especially among diabetics. They must have an overview of similar values and regularly perform measurements using so-called glucometers. But here is a stumbling block. For now, diabetics are dependent on invasive glucometers, which analyze the glucose value directly from the blood, so it is necessary to take a small sample in the form of one drop.
The concept of measuring blood sugar in watchOS
In connection with Apple, however, there is talk of non-invasive technology - i.e. it could measure the value through a mere sensor. Although technology may seem like science fiction at the moment, the opposite is true. In fact, the arrival of something similar is perhaps a little closer than originally thought. In this regard, the Cupertino giant works closely with the British medical technology start-up Rockley Photonics, which already has a working prototype. In addition, it has the form of an Apple Watch, i.e. it uses the same strap. Chance? We don't think so.
The current problem, however, is the size, which can be seen in the prototype attached above, which is itself the size of an Apple Watch. Once the technology can be scaled down, we can expect Apple to bring a real revolution to the world of smartwatches. That is, unless someone else overtakes him.
Sensor for measuring body temperature
With the advent of the global pandemic of the disease covid-19, several necessary measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus have spread. It is precisely for this reason that in some places a person's temperature is measured, which can appear as a symptom of a disease. In addition, as soon as the first wave broke out, there was suddenly a shortage of gun infrared thermometers on the market, which led to noticeable complications. Fortunately, the situation today is much better. However, according to information from leading leakers and analysts, Apple is being inspired by the first wave and is developing a sensor for measuring body temperature for its Apple Watch.
In addition, information has recently appeared that the measurement could be a little more accurate. AirPods Pro can play a role in this, as they could also be equipped with some health sensors and deal specifically with measuring body temperature. An Apple user who has both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro would then have significantly more accurate data available. However, it is necessary to draw attention to one fact. These speculations do not have too much weight, and it is possible that Apple headphones with the designation "Pro" will not see anything similar in the foreseeable future.
A sensor for measuring the level of alcohol in the blood
The arrival of a sensor for measuring the level of alcohol in the blood is what Apple would especially please domestic apple lovers. This function could be especially appreciated by drivers who, for example, after a party are not sure whether they can actually get behind the wheel or not. Of course, there are many different ones on the market breathalyzers capable of orientation measurement. But wouldn't it be worth it if the Apple Watch could do it by itself? The mentioned start-up Rockley Photonics could again have a hand in something similar. However, whether the sensor for measuring the level of alcohol in the blood will actually come is highly improbable in the current situation, but not completely unrealistic.
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Pressure sensor
Question marks continue to hang over the arrival of a blood pressure sensor. In the past, several analysts commented on something similar, but after some time the news completely died down. However, it should be noted that watches that are often several times cheaper offer something similar, and the measured values are usually not that far from reality. But the situation is similar to the sensor for measuring the level of alcohol in the blood - no one knows, whether we will really see something similar, or when.
