The Apple Bed? Apple files for patent for a ‘smart’ mattress

The Apple Bed? Apple has filed for a patent (number 20210085901) for a “pneumatic haptic device having actuation cells for producing a haptic output over a bed mattress.” 

I doubt that Apple actually plans on making a “smart bed.” Instead the invention probably involves the Beddit sleep tracking hardware and software that the company acquired in 2017.

In the patent data, Apple says that it may be beneficial for electronic devices to provide tactile outputs to users while they are in bed. Some traditional electronic devices may provide tactile feedback to users in bed, but the types of tactile feedback that can be provided are limited and devices can cause discomfort to users. Apple says the systems and techniques described in its patent filing “overcome some of these limitations with traditional electronic devices by providing haptic or tactile feedback using an in-bed haptic device.:

Here’s the summary of the patent data: “An in-bed haptic device may include an array of actuation cells. Actuation cells of the array of actuation cells may be configured to actuate (e.g., expand, contract, or otherwise change shape) in a predetermined sequence to provide haptic outputs. The in-bed haptic device may be configured to be placed beneath a user during use, for example between a user and a mattress. The haptic outputs may be provided to help a user relax, to move and/or wake a user, to indicate outputs, alerts, or notifications at the in-bed haptic device or another electronic device, or the like.”