Apple is reportedly looking to embed electrodes in future Apple Watch models that act as sweat sensors to monitor sweat loss during exercise. While many patents never see the light of day, this is one that casual and serious athletes alike will appreciate, especially when applied to other smartwatches.
Apple applied for a new patent
The “Wearable Devices Capable of Sweat Measurement” patent, filed on February 15, shows how to embed an array of electrodes into the Apple Watch sensor array as a hybrid sensor for both ECG and sweat readings. Patently, Apple was the first to notice the patent.
In theory, a future Apple Watch Ultra would calculate a user’s estimated sweat rate, a measure of the amount of fluid lost over a given time period. The watch will process this data and show the user the average fluid ounces lost per hour or in total.