“Design questions aside, the true mystery about Apple’s long-rumored iWatch lies in exactly what types of health-related sensors the wearable might include. A recent report claims the iWatch will sport an astonishing 10 different sensors, including one for sweat,” Buster Hein reports for Cult of Mac. “While pedometers, accelerometers, thermometers and every other o-meter Jony Ive can get his hands on might all make sense for a smartwatch, we’re wondering what Apple could do with a sweat sensor? Other than verify that, yes, your sweat glands are pouring out more fluid per minute than Niagara Falls during your jog?”
“It turns out that adding sweat sensors would do more than differentiate the iWatch from smartwatches by LG, Motorola and Samsung right out of the gate. It could make the iWatch the most ‘personal’ device you’ve ever shackled yourself to, with surprising applications that go far beyond fitness and health,” Hein reports. “EDR [electrodermal response] sensors determine your sweat rate by measuring a small flow of electricity on your skin, only they track micro-sweat changes on the skin (electrodermal activity) that you don’t even notice. Information contained in this stream of sweat data comes from a mixture of your body’s responses to fear, ambient temperature and detoxification (excretion and sweating off bacteria and dirt).”
Hein reports, “The potential data to be mined and analyzed from ERD sensors could prove powerful, but the iWatch would require extra sensors — lots of them — to add valuable context. However, if Apple’s dream team of bio experts have done their homework, the iWatch’s sweaty data could be used to change not just fitness, but gaming, social networks and recommendation engines, as well as adding an extraordinary marketing weapon to Apple’s arsenal that Google and Amazon can’t match.”
Tons more in the full article – recommended – here.
TMI!!
Oh great….now your sweat data will be sold to health care providers. Attention (your name here), we just want to make you aware of a possible upcoming heart attack. Can we interest you in these drugs?
Yeah – but if Google did it the message would be more like: We detected an unusual odor – you might want to consider XYZ deodorant – on sale now just click this link!!!
The only way to manage your health is to measure it as they saying goes “You manage what you measure”. I would not trust Google or SameSung with my private data but I trust Apple wants to be profitable while at the same time keeping me and my data safe from abusers.
iWatch: the first timepiece that can track how often you’re getting some ass.
You can’t fool iWatch. The accelerometer has been recording your hand motions.
Wonder if we’ll see any lie detector apps?
Without a doubt.
i don’t sweat. i perspire. i might be interested in a dermal respiration sensor.
Sweat sensors can provide a non-invasive way to detect low blood sugar levels. This would be a huge advancement for the 30+ million people with diabetics in the US (don’t know the world wide figures). Diagnosis and preventative action could help many more to avoid becoming diabetic during their lives.
I remember having a Tuberculosis test many years ago that was done by measuring sweat. It is my understanding that sweat can be used to test for cystic fibrosis too.
Having a single monitoring tool like this will help save lives and reduce complications from undiagnosed conditions. For me, I say bring it on.