A patent from technology company Apple shows that it is working on tech innovations for its AirPods product.
Back in July 2023, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published an application filed by Apple in January 2023. Within the application, the tech giant mentioned a wearable electronic device that is comprised of a processor that is arranged to identify active electrodes for sensing biosignals — “electrical activity of a brain of a user.”
“The processor is further configured to: control the switching circuit for acquiring measurements corresponding to the biosignal being senses using the identified subset of the one or more subsets of active electrodes and the identified subset of the one or more subsets of reference electrodes,” the application wrote.
Typically, brain activity is monitored with electrodes on a person’s scalp. However, Apple shared its claim that measuring brain activity “using electrodes placed in or around the outer ear may be preferred due to benefits such as reduced device mobility and decreased visibility of the electrodes when compared to other devices that require electrodes to be placed on visible areas around the scalp of the user.”
Apple’s application abstract wrote that the system can attach to outside electrodes.
“The switching circuit is operable to electrically connect a number of different subsets of one or more electrodes in the set of electrodes to the sensor circuit,” the application reads.
In addition, Apple’s application shared background that accurate measurements of brain activity are conducted with an ear-electroencephalography (EEG) device.
An official report from Apple has yet to confirm the details shared in the patent application. However, as of recent, there has been rumors about the launch of the new AirPods 4.
To view the full patent application publication, click here.
