Apple looking into how to use HomePods, Macs and iPhones to enhance sleep monitoring

The future of sleep tracking could be done without any mattress sensors or wearables, as Apple is investigating using an iPhone, Mac or HomePod mini to provide physiological monitoring.

If you've ever worn your Apple Watch at night so you can wake up to its tactile alerts without disturbing others, you know it's very successful. It's not the most comfortable, though, and it also means you'll have to find time to charge the watch the next day.

Wearable sleep trackers are similar in terms of accuracy, but can be uncomfortable and interfere with the sleep they are trying to check. A newly disclosed patent suggests that Apple has been looking at alternatives, specifically ones that don't require any physical contact with a sleeping person.

There are already devices out there that you would have to be a princess to detect a tracker device smaller than the width of a pea placed on your mattress. This includes Apple's own Beddit Sleep Monitor, which it acquired when Apple acquired Beddit — and then was discontinued in January 2022.

However, "Physiological Monitoring Methods and Systems" proposes a system that does not even have this connection.

"Physiological monitoring is performed using a device that does not require the measurement of electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, or other electrophysiological signals with uncomfortable electrodes," Apple's patent says, "but is based on comfortable motion and audio measurements ."

"The measurements required for this unobtrusive monitoring are made using systems," it continues, "such as microphones for measuring movement sounds, breathing sounds and snoring; motion sensors such as radar ..."

The same section of the patent does mention "bed-mounted force sensors, wearable motion sensors," and more. So Apple isn't ruling out body or bed sensors, but much of the proposal is about how to track sleep without any such device.

"When monitoring physiological parameters, such as the sleep of a person sleeping in a bed," Apple says, "virtually all measurements from the unobtrusive sensor relate to the sleeping person, with obvious expectations External influences, such as ambient noise, can interfere with measurements.” sleep situation for two people and believe the proposal applies here.

"However, when the physiological parameters of two or more people are to be monitored, such as two people sleeping in the same bed, unobtrusive monitoring becomes more difficult," it continued.

"In a typical measurement scenario, each person being monitored would have their own unobtrusive sensor," Apple said. "The output of each sensor will inevitably contain information about people who are not intended to be monitored using the associated sensor, e.g. a first person's motion sensor will also detect the second person's motion and vice versa."

This is a difficulty, especially since, as Apple says, "the severity of the problem depends on the unobtrusive sensor used." For example, "It is easier for a microphone to pick up signals from several people."

"Signal" might be a good word for "snoring," but combining audio and motion data helps differentiate between people with minimal potential for what Apple calls "crosstalk."

“The amount of crosstalk between sensors,” Apple continues, “for example, how strongly the heartbeat of a person sleeping on one side of the bed appears to the sensor signal of a person sleeping on the other side depends on the sensor used Examples of types."

The proposal centers on the use of multiple sensors, possibly including wearable sensors, in order to collect data that can be differentiated. It's mostly about what it calls unobtrusive devices, "which may include smartphones."

Apple cites a “smartphone, tablet, TV, or desktop computer” as an example. In other words, the iPhone you charge next to your bed could be part of a sleep tracking system.

If you prefer to watch TV in bed, then your HomePod or HomePod mini, MacBook Pro or even Apple TV 4K in your bedroom will work too.

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