Future MacBook models can feature Apple Watch like biometric sensors – Patent

Apple is looking to expand its Apple Watch’s biometric sensors to future MacBook models. A new patent granted to the company by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office describes the inclusion of bio-sensors on the surface of a “portable electronic” device to measure users’ vitals in a non-invasive manner.

Apple is exploring more ways to use the keyboard area of the MacBook to offer new capabilities. Previous patent filings show that the company wants to replace the solid physical keyboard on the future MacBook with a virtual keyboard, a virtual interface, to turn the keyboard and trackpad area into an iPhone charging pad, and a touch controller for gaming, and more.

Future MacBook might allow users to monitor their health

The new filing is titled “Portable electronic device having an integrated bio-sensor” which explains that mobile devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones are very commonly used and integral part of users’ everyday life and very few notebooks (laptops) include “sophisticated sensors or sensing techniques to monitor the user.” Therefore, the document proposes new “systems and techniques to include a bio-sensor into a surface of a portable electronic device.”

An electronic device includes a translucent layer that forms a portion of an exterior of the electronic device, an opaque material positioned on the translucent layer that defines micro-perforations, and a processing unit operable to determine information about a user via the translucent layer. The processing unit may be operable to determine the information by transmitting optical energy through a first set of the micro-perforations into a body part of the user, receiving a reflected portion of the optical energy from the body part of the user through a second set of the micro-perforations, and analyzing the reflected portion of the optical energy.

Even for Apple Watch, the Cupertino tech giant is exploring ways to include new health sensors to measure users blood glucose level, blood pressure, hydration level, and others through non-invasive means.