Apple Watch models, renowned for their health-centric features notifying wearers about medical concerns, have also incorporated emergency functionalities such as collision detection in severe car accidents. The ability of Apple to pack such a multitude of features into a smartwatch is impressive, and it intends to introduce even more functionalities.
According to a patent application, the company's goal this time is swimmers and how the Apple Watch can become their personal digital pool assistant, notifying them or people around them of any imminent dangers.
Reported by PatentlyApple, the average person can hold their breath for about 30 seconds, while trained individuals can hold it for up to 2 minutes. However, prolonged immersion in water for 4-6 minutes can cause irreversible bodily harm and, in some cases, even lead to drowning. Based on sensor data, future models of the Apple Watch could prevent such events and determine if a swimmer is drowning. If the wearer exhibits abnormal behavior underwater, the wearable device will send alert messages to one or more devices.
This new Apple Watch model can trigger alerts when used in various freshwater pools, including public and private pools, as well as natural freshwater pools. As shown in Figure 1, an example depicts user 100 wearing a smartwatch on their wrist while swimming. The Apple Watch can identify various metrics of the swimmer, and when the device detects irregular behavior between strokes or if the swimmer is in distress, as illustrated in Figure 2, the wireless transmitter embedded in the smartwatch can broadcast a radio frequency (RF) message.
Then, this message will be sent to nearby devices labeled #102 within or around the swimming pool, such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, or monitoring control stations. Owners of these nearby devices with the label #102 can receive the message through sound alerts or haptic feedback on their display screens, thus alerting others and assisting swimmers in trouble.
Apple Inc. notes in its patent background that over 3,500 people die from drowning in the United States annually, making drowning the fifth most common cause of accidental death in the region. With these new Apple Watches, the tech giant can address a challenging issue, although a patent application doesn't guarantee the eventual realization of such a product. Nevertheless, the introduction of this feature could save numerous lives, giving us hope that Apple will somehow incorporate it into future smartwatches.
