The bottom of the Apple Watch Series 10 features numerous sensors From a blood oxygen sensor (though not available in the US) to a heart rate sensor to an electrocardiogram, Apple is putting health-based technology into its devices to provide a more comprehensive picture of overall health And now there is evidence that Apple is about to pour its expertise into something a little smaller than the Apple Watch

Head to the US Patent Viewer and search for “patent 20240315584” to find a new patent for “a system and method for detecting heart pathology” It is an old document loaded with technical data that is difficult to decipher and intimidating-sounding language, but there are a few key points that paint a picture of Apple's idea

The new feature, following the AirPods Pro 2's new hearing aid mode announced at the Glowtime event, utilizes the microphone in the buds to measure heart rate

Apple, of course, has the longest sentence ever (take a deep breath:) “The method involves capturing a second signal with a second sensor, processing the second signal to determine the user's second heart activity, the user's heart activity in the first microphone signal and the user's second heart activity, and detecting an association between the second cardiac activity and one or more cardiac pathologies by applying a predictive algorithm to the activity”

No other device is needed for this function to work (aside from an iPhone), and its uses are apparently many Measuring blood flow and detecting “cardiac pathology” could lead to the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease [Sennheiser's Momentum Sport also has a heart rate monitor, but it is not as detailed as Apple is talking about here

As is usual with patents, this is unlikely to see the light of day But if you're interested in more health data, you'll probably want to see it in future AirPods - though perhaps not likely in the forthcoming AirPods Pro 3