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Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

applemagazine.com

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Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#31

Post by pulisse »

tetris11 wrote: post #11
cmiller1 wrote: post #4

It's tangential to this but the integration of biofeedback with headphones reminded me something I've dreamed of having off and on for years. I would really love a music player that uses some kind of biological sensing data to help inform what it plays. When I'm exercising I'd love for my phone to be able to figure out my intensity through some metrics (heart rate, respiration, skin temperature, accelerometers) and s…

Same, as well as serving me better ads that I will be more susceptible to in a more euphoric state of mind.

They'll charge more to serve you ads when you're in a more receptive state of mind, but the ads you're served won't necessarily be better.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#33

Post by GrinningFool »

mepian wrote: post #8
rsync wrote: post #3

[flagged]

No one is going to eavesdrop on your thoughts without drilling a hole through your skull.

Even then, they'd have to hold their ear right up to the hole to have a chance of hearing the thoughts.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#34

Post by emptybits »

specialist wrote: post #25

Should any of Apple's boffins be reading... I desperately want active breath monitoring. Like measuring breaths per minute. Like nudging me when I'm holding my breath. These features would greatly help me with managing chronic pain. Also, the "pulmonauts" are doing a bunch of cool new stuff. Active breath monitoring would be a boon. "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art Hardcover" by James Nestor [2020-05-26] https:…

> I desperately want active breath monitoring. Like measuring breaths per minute.

Not sure about the state of Apple Watchen but my Garmin watch (a several year old Fenix) monitors breaths per minute, history, and has breath exercises. Seems this would be easily within reach of Apple so I’m not sure why they’re not doing it if Garmin is. Unless what Garmin considers accurate or reliable isn’t up to Apple standards. Shrug.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#35

Post by swatcoder »

Barrin92 wrote: post #18
swatcoder wrote: post #14

The comments coming in so far are off track. This is about enabling pretty low key but useful biofeedback things like meditation training and maybe ear temperature for health tracking. The signals that would be available to AirPods are very limited and already pretty well understood. Apple’s achievement (as often) would really be in their industrial technique for producing accurate, efficient, affordable sensors that…

doesn't really need to do any of that to have negative effects. Not only are there obvious privacy issues, the 24/7 health monitoring craze of people who are healthy and don't require such interventions is just a waste of money and potentially worry. Yet another avenue to sell people 'health services' that in reality have no measurable impact. My wife's a physician. She now routinely has to deal with healthy young pe…

I don’t know, man.

Health isn’t a binary thing, but as a spectrum, I can say that I’m healthier now than I was 10 years ago because I’ve been able to make data-informed insights into my own idiosyncratic body.

Medical research tells you about population patterns and doctors treat illness. Neither of those play the same role as having lots of personal health data to form and test hypotheses over.

Privacy may be a concern, but for now, I’m personally pretty comfortable with Apple’s commitment to privacy as a differentiating factor against their competitors. That won’t last forever, but it’s good for now.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#36

Post by codr7 »

mepian wrote: post #8
rsync wrote: post #3

[flagged]

No one is going to eavesdrop on your thoughts without drilling a hole through your skull.

How can you be so sure?

Maybe not today, but with better sensors and neural networks I'd say anything is possible.

That's not what's bothering me most in the long run though. Because there's no way in hell they'll be able to resist the temptation to manipulate our brains directly if they ever develop the capability.

Technology is neither good nor bad, but it enables better and worse with every iteration.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#37

Post by inputError »

shironandonon_ wrote: post #30

this will be great so that the volume may be increased should the user not be listening to advertising material appropriately.

i miss when we could just ff web commercials when html 5 video debuted. they fixed that real quick.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#38

Post by grecy »

specialist wrote: post #25

Should any of Apple's boffins be reading... I desperately want active breath monitoring. Like measuring breaths per minute. Like nudging me when I'm holding my breath. These features would greatly help me with managing chronic pain. Also, the "pulmonauts" are doing a bunch of cool new stuff. Active breath monitoring would be a boon. "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art Hardcover" by James Nestor [2020-05-26] https:…

> Should any of Apple's boffins be reading...

I desperately want active breath monitoring

I don't think it's a great idea to call people boffins and then ask them to do something for you.

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#39

Post by supertrope »

tetris11 wrote: post #11
cmiller1 wrote: post #4

It's tangential to this but the integration of biofeedback with headphones reminded me something I've dreamed of having off and on for years. I would really love a music player that uses some kind of biological sensing data to help inform what it plays. When I'm exercising I'd love for my phone to be able to figure out my intensity through some metrics (heart rate, respiration, skin temperature, accelerometers) and s…

Same, as well as serving me better ads that I will be more susceptible to in a more euphoric state of mind.

"New Google phone service whispers targeted ads directly into users' ears"

https://www.theonion.com/new-google-phone-service-whispers-t...

Re: Apple patents suggest future AirPods could monitor biosignals and brain activity

#40

Post by BasilPH »

grecy wrote: post #38
specialist wrote: post #25

Should any of Apple's boffins be reading... I desperately want active breath monitoring. Like measuring breaths per minute. Like nudging me when I'm holding my breath. These features would greatly help me with managing chronic pain. Also, the "pulmonauts" are doing a bunch of cool new stuff. Active breath monitoring would be a boon. "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art Hardcover" by James Nestor [2020-05-26] https:…

> Should any of Apple's boffins be reading... I desperately want active breath monitoring I don't think it's a great idea to call people boffins and then ask them to do something for you.

I'm not a native speaker, but as far as I know a "boffin" is not derogatory, at least in British English. I liken it to "nerd" in US English.

From Wikipedia[^0]:

> Boffin is a British slang term for a scientist, engineer, or other person engaged in technical or scientific research and development. A "boffin" was viewed by some in the regular services as odd, quirky or peculiar, though quite bright and essential to helping in the war effort through having and developing the key ideas leading to transformative military capabilities.

[^0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boffin

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