Apple patents heartbeat-recognition sensors for iPhone

Apple’s patents continue to push to envelop. There are invisible buttons on Macbooks, and now heart-rate monitors on iPhones. Apple’s latest patent incorporates a heart sensor-like technology on the iPhone, allowing the handset to identify the user by his or her heartbeats and even mood.

Yi Chen writes that biometrics recognition is not anything new — security systems can identify users by their faces, eyes, and fingerprints. Heart rate, though, does immediately jump to mind when you think about biometric identification -– although we have reported on several companies developing heart-beat biometrics (see, for example, “Aladdin shows heart-beat biometric security system,” 21 February 2006 HSNW; and “Biometric scanners probes your brain to ID you,” 12 May 2009 HSNW).

Apple’s new patent entitled, Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor, sets out to incorporate a heart rate sensor that can identify the user, along with capabilities to monitor the user’s heart rate and mood.

The electronic device can include a heart sensor having several leads for detecting a user’s cardiac signals. The leads can be coupled to interior surfaces of the electronic device housing to hide the sensor from view, such that electrical signals generated by the user can be transmitted from the user’s skin through the electronic device housing to the leads. In some embodiments, the leads can be coupled to pads placed on the exterior of the housing. The pads and housing can be finished to ensure that the pads are not visibly or haptically distinguishable on the device, thus improving the aesthetic qualities of the device. Using the detected signals, the electronic device can identify or authenticate the user and perform an operation based on the identity of the user. In some embodiments, the electronic device can determine the user’s mood from the cardiac signals and provide data related to the user’s mood

Essentially, by integrating this technology with the iPhone, the handset can authenticate the user by seamlessly picking your heart rate instantly as soon as you pick up your phone. No password required or tedious scanning of fingerprints or faces.

Chen writes that the part that intrigues him the most is how the device can “determine the user’s mood” and possibly react to it. Chen asks: “So if I’m having one of my stressed out moments, will my iPhone send me a motivation message before proceeding to download a yoga app?”