Apple has today been granted a patent for an AirPods safety feature which could detect when a wearer is at risk. AirPods could respond by pausing or lowering the volume of your music, to enable to you concentrate on the potential danger.
The patent also describes a possible smart workout mat, which would detect how safely or effectively you are exercising …
Background
Apple has for some time been exploring the possibility of using existing sensors to add functionality to AirPods.
For example, research carried out with Cornell University showed how AirPods microphones could detect respiration rate during or after exercise. This patent describes a potential way to mix data from AirPods and an iPhone or Apple Watch to add features.
AirPods safety feature
In its patent document, Apple explains that AirPods can be great for entertainment or education, but also introduce risks.
Recent advances in portable computing have provided users with an unprecedented amount of content to consume in nearly any setting. Wearable electronic devices, such as earbuds, headphones, glasses, and the like provide audio to a user substantially wherever or whenever he or she may be. While this facilitates user choice, it has the unintended side effect of often consuming a user’s attention, or otherwise distracting him or her, in some situations. This may impact a user’s safety as well as the safety of those around her.
Apple suggests that GPS data transmitted from an iPhone or Apple Watch could be combined with the existing AirPods sensors to determine location and speed, and that one or both AirPods is in the ear.
For example, GPS data could show that you are walking quickly toward a busy intersection, and that both AirPods are in your ears, meaning you may not be fully aware of traffic when you cross the road. In that situation, the AirPods could pause playback, or reduce volume. This would serve to alert you to a potential danger, and to better enable you to be aware of the traffic movement.
When walking next to a road, the AirPods might only cut or reduce volume to the ear facing the traffic.
The direction of motion may indicate a user is moving along a shoulder of a road with his or her right side toward the road (presuming the user is walking forwards). Thus, audio output to the right ear may be adjusted. If the motion data suggests the user is walking with his or her left side towards the road, audio output to the left ear may be adjusted.
If your speed and motion indicates that you are cycling, and position data suggests that the road is a busy one, your AirPods could automatically reduce volume to give you better situational awareness.
The patent even hints at even more intelligence.
[Data might include] language selected on an electronic device (insofar as that language may provide suggestion or indication as to a user’s native country).
For example, if it detects you are in a country where people drive on the opposite side of the road to your home country, it might consider you at greater risk when crossing roads, and apply stricter safety rules.
Smart exercise mat
The patent goes on to suggest that sensors in a smart workout mat could detect whether you are following an exercise instruction properly – with your AirPods letting you know when you’re not.
The sensor is positioned in or beneath an exercise mat; the context data comprises a position of the user on the exercise mat; determining whether the user is performing the activity correctly comprises determining whether the position of the user is the same as an expected position of the user; and the second audio output comprises verbal instructions for correcting the position of the user.
An obvious use for this would be Apple Fitness+ workouts, where the system knows what you should be doing, and can sense what you are doing, and offer appropriate feedback. (“Hey, keep going, you lazy bum!” perhaps?)
As always with Apple patents, there’s of course no telling whether any of this will ever make it to market. Would you like to see these AirPods safety or smart exercise mat features introduced? Please let us know in the comments.
Via Patently Apple. Photo: Metin Ozer/Unsplash.
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