According to the latest reports, there are rumors that Apple is upgrading AirPods with health-related features, such as heart rate monitoring. Apple’s latest patent shows that the company also hopes that AirPods can help users avoid accidents on the road or on noisy construction sites.
In a series of patents filed by Apple with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Apple mentions a Contextual audio system that automatically adjusts the volume to ensure users can hear important sounds around them, such as It’s emergency sirens and car horns, etc.
Specifically, the background sound system can determine the user’s travel direction and speed through GPS data and other sensor parameters collected by the user’s mobile phone or Apple Watch, thereby adjusting the volume of the corresponding left or right earphones.
For example, GPS data shows that the user is at a busy intersection, but the user wears AirPods in both ears, which means that the user may not notice the surrounding traffic when crossing the road. In this case, the AirPods will lower the volume or even pause playback, alerting the user to the traffic.
When the data shows that the user is walking by the road, the AirPods will only reduce the volume of the headphones on the side of the road. For example, if there is a road on the left side of the user, the AirPods will only adjust the volume of the left earphone. By lowering the headphone volume, AirPods ensure that users can hear emergency announcements around them.
At the same time, when AirPods and other devices detect certain data, the system may also play alarm audio saved on the iPhone or Apple Watch to remind users to pay attention to their surroundings. The patent claims that the sound of AirPods may be reduced or even paused in situations where users need to focus, such as hazardous locations, job sites, and educational centers.
Additionally, the patent mentions a special sensor that will work in conjunction with other sensors inside an iPhone or Apple Watch to monitor the position of the user’s torso and take action accordingly. It is worth mentioning that the patent does not state that it is applied for AirPods, but instead uses the term wearable audio device (wearable audio device).
Apple has also applied for a patent called “Wireless Ear Bud System With Pose Detection”, which indicates that Apple is considering building a body posture detection system for AirPods, in which The user’s head tilt angle and limb extension will be monitored in real-time.
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