We truly are approaching a Jetsons-like future where the most quotidian tasks are fully automated, and where elderly Millennials will harrumph to their cloned grandchildren about the good old days when their watches — “we called ’em ‘smartwatches’ back then!” — came with bands that had to be adjusted by our own non-cyborg hands.
Apple has been granted a patent for a “Dynamic fit adjustment for wearable electronic devices,” also known as a watch band that adjusts itself.
A tensioner in the Watch or electronic device would tighten or loosen the band, without the wearer having to do anything.
Apple notes in the patent that watch bands often have limitations when it comes to adjusting, and not everyone may find the perfect fit as a result.
“Despite the prevalence of issues associated with improperly fit bands, adjusting the size or fit of conventional watch bands often requires multiple steps, specialized tools, and/or technical expertise,” Apple writes in its patent. “For example, a metal link band may require specialized tools to remove one or more links of the band to resize the band. In other cases, a leather band with a deployment clasp may need to be physically cut to size in order to resize the band.”
To address all of these things, Apple’s system would be capable of adjusting upon request, via an onscreen option, or doing it automatically depending on biometric sensor readings.
Of course, this is just a patent — it’s unclear if Apple will ever make self-adjusting bands a reality. However, it does makes sense for the company, which has been pushing its Watch’s fitness tracking capabilities.
If the Watch doesn’t fit so well, that could impact sensor readings, especially when you’re doing things like working out or otherwise being active. It’s likely that you may want your watch to fit one way when you’re jumping around in a workout class and another when you’re just sitting on the couch.
[h/t Apple Insider]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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