New Apple Patents Hint of Bioelectronic Medicine Advances

by Victor Pikov, contributing editor

July 2023 issue, BioElectRx Business Report

Apple Inc. has long been interested in developing wellness capabilities for their wearable devices, such as ECG and glucose monitoring in Apple Watch and EEG sensing for detection of cognitive states (based on EEG activity in the alpha frequency band) in AirPods. More recently, Apple’s interests started to expand toward developing medical devices for bioelectronic medicine disorders.

One of their recent patent applications is focused on bruxism, a problem of unconsciously grinding or clenching one’s teeth during sleep. Apple proposes diagnosing the disease by using two sensors in their AirPods: an accelerometer for detecting vibration and a microphone for detecting grinding sounds.

In another patent application, Apple is exploring potential signal processing algorithms for EEG as a way for diagnosing epilepsy and depression.

In yet another patent application, Apple explores the use of signal processing algorithms for ECG to diagnose congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In fact, recent Apple Watch models are already equipped with the ECG sensor and are able to track atrial fibrillation episodes over time.

Perhaps, Apple’s most innovative medical technologies relate to their interest in monitoring and potentially treating diabetes. In a patent application, Apple proposes to use a wearable device (such as Apple Watch) with non-invasive glucose monitoring capability to “facilitate treatment of diabetes.” It is worth mentioning that their internal efforts to develop the glucose monitoring sensor have not been very successful, so Apple instead pursued the proprietary infrared laser technology from a U.K.- and California-based company Rockley Photonics.

Apple is also pursuing a development of a therapy-assisting device to expand its footprint in the diabetes market. In a recently granted U.S. patent, Apple proposes using front-facing cameras, such as those on the Vision Pro augmented reality headset, to capture images of a patient while he/she is consuming food, which are then analyzed by a smartphone app for real-time monitoring of patient’s glucose consumption and for estimating their blood glucose response. Optionally, the smartphone app can get the actual glucose data from a wearable glucose monitoring device. Such close monitoring of patient’s glucose metabolism is proposed for automating adjustments in dosing of patient’s insulin pump.

While Apple so far has shied away from developing wearable neurostimulation therapies, some of its recent patents offer a glimpse of possible developments in that area. One Apple patent suggests applying electrical stimulation to user’s fingers that hold a tablet stylus in order to provide a “richer interaction experience” and “haptic feedback.” Another Apple patent proposes that electrical or mechanical stimulation of the nerves in a user’s wrist can “simulate a sensation of touch.” Yet another Apple patent application expands the idea of wrist stimulation by using an array of ultrasonic transducers “to generate the sensation of pressure” in order “to garner the attention of the user.” Apple further suggests that these ultrasonic transducers could be used for detecting blood pressure, blood flow, and heart rate variability, while the stimulation-induced pressure sensations could be used as biofeedback for these vascular measurements. If such Apple wristband is eventually developed, it could provide the “sixth sense” of person’s own vascular dynamics and particularly the autonomic balance metric that is derived from the heart rate variability. Such a device could benefit those suffering from chronic stress, anxiety, hypertension, and other bioelectronic medicine disorders stemming from the autonomic imbalance. Any takers for a new Apple trademarks iBalance or iSense?