There have been talks that Apple could be pursuing a more health-related focus when it comes to their wearables, like the rumored iWatch. In the past we have seen the Cupertino company hire various health experts, and according to the rumors, their latest addition could be MIT researcher, Eric Winokur. Winokur has done research at MIT’s Medical Electronic Devices Realization Center and has recently worked on a device worn on the ear that is able to monitor vital signs.
According to Winokur’s LinkedIn profile, “My professional experience includes many aspects of research and development in the electrical engineering field, with an emphasis on medical monitors. From conceptualizing designs to following through with circuit layout (both IC and PCB) and building full prototypes, I have enjoyed being involved in the entire process.”
In fact one of his listed specialties includes “wearable medical device R&D” which seems to be what Apple is headed for. This also seems to corroborate earlier rumors which suggests that Apple’s future EarPods headphones could come with sensors in them to detect heart rate and blood pressure. While the rumors about the EarPods are a little sketchy, we have seen evidence of Apple’s interest in the health field.
In fact earlier leaks of iOS 8 has revealed a new native application Apple will be bundling with the software called Healthbook. Its purpose remains unclear for now since it’s only rumors, but it definitely seems to hint that APple could be looking to differentiate themselves from the competition not just on hardware, but on software as well. In any case we expect we will learn more in the future but until then, take it with a grain of salt.
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