Apple surprised the users when it included an electrocardiogram function in the Apple Watch 4 (only available in the US for now), but the company could go a step further. Future iPhone and Apple Watch models might detect blood pressure using Apple’s Force Touch technology in the future.
Expanding the functions dedicated to health and medicine in the gadgets we use has been trending of late, becoming, subsequently, a strategic focus for the tech giants out there. Apple took the lead with Apple Watch by integrating a heartbeat sensor with its first model.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal concerning a study conducted by Dr. Mukkamala, the optical force-based sensors that are already in use in smartphones can be further exploited in order to be able to detect blood pressure.
Dr. Mukkamala’s team created a demo app for the iPhone that can calculate blood pressure. The results are of course, less precise, but they are comparable to those obtained with instruments that detect arterial pressure with the sensors placed on the patient’s finger.
Of course, Apple might not follow this path, but it does open new hypotheses concerning the development of such technologies.
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Dheniss
September 20, 2018 at 6:28 am
These technologies (EKG and blood pressure measurement) are already available on some smart watches in China. Though maybe not as elaborate as that of iPhone’s implementation but basically the same. I have tried and tested them personally. The EKG data are comparable with the ones I get from the clinic. The charts can be opened on the phone and can also be exported as PDF file, same as what apple plans to do. The same watch can also measure blood pressure by comparing the heart beats and ekg data with historical data to predict your blood pressure. It can also be calibrated using actual data from other equipment. Results are fairly accurate though of course not certified by FDA. But it proves that this is not really new and it can really be done technically.
Mara Pruna
September 20, 2018 at 4:34 pm
Hi Dheniss! See, there’s the difference: those watches predict blood pressure by compiling relevant data. Here, we talk about the possibility of Apple Watch to read your blood pressure by using 3D touch (touch and press). Basically, touching the display and obtaining a reading.