In a groundbreaking patent application published by the US Patent & Trademark Office, Apple has unveiled plans for a next-generation…

Apple has patented a new AirPods sensor system that integrates active and reference electrodes into the housing and tips to measure brain activity and other biosignals[1]. The system can monitor electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and electrooculography (EOG) through electrodes placed around the outer ear[2].

The technology uses dynamic electrode selection, intelligently choosing specific electrodes based on user parameters and wearing conditions to optimize accuracy[2:1]. Users could potentially activate measurements through simple gestures like tapping the AirPods tip[2:2].

However, experts note significant challenges - current in-ear EEG systems require patient-specific 3D ear scans and careful cleaning procedures that may not align with Apple’s consumer product approach[3].

  1. LinkedIn - Apple’s AirPods Revolution: New Patent for Measuring Biosignals and Reading Minds ↩︎

  2. Medium - Apple’s Next-Gen AirPods with Brainwave Monitoring ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Manifold Markets - Will Apple Airpods have EEG based BCI control features by 2026? ↩︎

  • bstix
    2·
    7 hours ago

    Remember the hype around brain wave synchronization through stereo headphones in the early 00s?

    If these earplugs can actually get any kind of reading, it might actually work a lot better than it did back then. Knowing the current frequency of the brain waves would be really helpful in order to make the sounds resonate and synchronize the brain waves to the desired state of mind.

    Potentially it can make a person feel any state of awareness between drowsy and stressed.

    I would like to have that kind of control, but I also wouldn’t want anyone else to have that kind of control over anyone else’s brain frequency. Especially not in a paid product…

    It’s really interesting but also very very grim.