The Apple Watch is likely to be getting glucose, blood pressure, and alcohol monitoring functionality, according to a new report. Apple is said to be "exploring advanced smartwatch technology" in collaboration with a British electronics start-up. Such functionality would be in line with Apple's continued development of the Watch's health features and its evolution into what looks set to become a serious health monitoring device.
In addition to offering a wealth of fitness features, the Apple Watch has led the way for smartphones as they've moved into more health-focused areas since it was launched in 2015. Already among its features are ECG capture, alerts for irregular heart rhythms, blood oxygen monitoring, and fall detection. What is notable is that, while obviously not at the highest medical standards, the features are being recognized for their quality. A recent study of its heart monitoring functionality, for example, found that the Apple Watch is accurate enough for remote monitoring for cardiovascular disease patients. It's entirely likely that the Apple Watch will come to be recognized as the device that ushered in true, distributed, user-centered healthcare as its capabilities continue to be extended.
It is The Telegraph that reports that some of its next capabilities may be glucose, blood pressure, and alcohol monitoring. It has been suggested previously that glucose monitoring with the Apple Watch was on the way, but this new report notes that Apple has been revealed in listing documents as being the biggest customer of Rockley Photonics, which makes next-generation sensors that could deliver these functionalities. The sensors are said to "read multiple blood signals" via infrared modules that can be integrated into the rear of smartwatches. This is similar to how current Apple Watch blood monitoring is carried out, but more sophisticated.
Apple Watch: When Will The Features Appear?
The Telegraph says Rockley's chief executive Andrew Rickman declined to confirm whether the sensors would appear in an Apple device, but said that he expected to see them in consumer products next year. With Apple being Rockley's biggest client and the filing documents indicating the two companies have a "supply and development agreement," everything points to them materializing in the Apple Watch.
If this turns out to be the case, it won't be the next Apple Watch — the Series 7 — in which the glucose, blood pressure, and alcohol monitoring debuts, as that is expected to launch this year. Instead, it sounds as though it will be the Series 8, which, if Apple keeps to its traditional launch schedule, we can expect to see unveiled in September 2022.
Source: The Telegraph