The Apple Watch and iPhone already pack several health features. A newly granted (number 11,109,797) by Apple indicates that Macs may also include some of those features eventually. The invention is for “portable electronic device having an integrated bio-sensor.”
About the patent
In the patent, Apple notes that many traditional portable electronic devices are configured to receive input using a keyboard or similar input device. However, few, if any, traditional notebook computers include sophisticated sensors or sensing techniques to monitor the user. Apple is at least considering changing this in future Macs. A bio-sensor could built into a keyboard or implemented in the base of a laptop.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: 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.
The accompanying graphic shows a Mac laptop with an integrated bio-sensor.
