Apple has been working on a way to let the Apple Watch strap automatically track the wearer’s hydration, as well as all of the health monitoring features that come with it. Rockley Photonics, an Apple supplier, recently introduced a non-invasive glucose monitoring system that appears to be compatible with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch band is used in the demonstration device. The release, however, makes no indication of whether the Rockley device can detect additional content, such as hydration.
Apple has now gotten a patent on the subject on its own. Apple said in their patent entitled “Measure Hydration with Watches” that hydration is a critical health indicator and that a single type of sensor can provide a great amount of health information.
The user’s degree of hydration has a substantial impact on his or her health. Dehydration can impair the body and is linked to a number of negative health outcomes, including heatstroke. Hyponatremia, tiredness, confusion, coma, and even death can result from excessive drinking.
There are currently a slew of iPhone and Apple Watch apps that can remind users to drink water frequently but not excessively. However, Apple claims that traditional approaches for actual measurements are generally invasive, expensive, or unreliable.
Some hydration tracking systems, for example, require analysis of the chemical reaction between the sensor and the sample fluid. Others need measuring a user’s fluid sample, such as urine or blood. Many of these sensors are one-time usage only and are disposable.
According to the patent, Apple Watch should be used to take regular and periodic measurements to determine the user’s hydration state, and the Apple Watch strap should be used for measurement.
The watch can be set up to receive and measure one or more electrical properties of the user’s sweat. The measurement findings can be utilized to provide meaningful feedback and health tracking data to the user, allowing them to better manage hydration and general health.
The electrodes would be used to measure the electrical properties of sweat, according to apple. These properties can represent the electrolyte concentration in perspiration, which indicates the user’s hydration level.
This assessment is non-invasive and can be repeated, accurately, and automatically with minimal user participation because it is done on sweat. The findings of the measurements can then be compared over time to help users better manage their hydration and general health.
