The Apple Watch helps save lives, whether by detecting falls, accidents or even cardiac arrhythmias. Shared by Patently Apple, an Apple patent published on March 28, 2024 describes a drowning detection feature.
Apple emphasizes in the patent text that drowning is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States with 3,500 deaths per year, mainly children. The company indicates that responsiveness is essential to avoid the worst.
Although underwater camera monitoring solutions exist, Apple points out that they are expensive to install and unreliable for detecting drownings.
“Therefore, there is a need to find a simpler and more economical solution that can be deployed in all types of freshwater swimming pools […] as well as natural pools (e.g. lakes, ponds, etc.) where installing underwater cameras would not be practical”, explains the apple firm.
So, the Apple Watch would be the ideal solution. The patent describes a drowning detection system based on analysis of movements and health data such as heart rate and respiratory rate. As soon as a problem is identified, the watch could activate the pool alarm system or send a radio signal to nearby devices.
Like any patent, it may never be enforced. It still seems quite likely to see this new feature arrive when we know the importance of security and health monitoring for Apple.