Apple has applied for a patent for ‘wearable tags’ that would track fitness beyond the usual step counting and heart-rate monitoring that smartwatches are capable of.
To keep the patent under wraps, it was originally applied for under the names of Apple engineers, not the company. Now that it has been published, though, Apple is listed as the applicant.
The wearable tags described in the patent application would be attached to clothing.
Image credit: European Patent Register
It suggests they could be used for “physical therapy, sun exposure monitoring, fitness tracking, activity tracking, medical applications, biometric applications, wellness applications, personal training, rehabilitation, fall detection, posture monitoring, stress relief, focus, full-body tracking, sports applications, and/or other suitable health-related functions.” It also details that users could provide touch or voice inputs for the tag.
Main-stream fitness tracking has mostly been relegated to smartwatches. Companies have strived to make them do even more tracking. For example, the Apple Watch Series 8 features body temperature monitoring and Wear OS 4 will soon be able to track your golf swings. However, more advanced tech to monitor your health or fitness more closely isn’t uncommon, like this training aid for golfers to help them perfect their swing.
Other patents Apple has applied for seem related to this one, such as woven electric fabric that could include health sensors or a wristband designed to monitor sports performance.
Header image credit: Shutterstock
Source: European Patent Register Via: Patently Apple, 9to5Mac
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