Lasers Could Help Future iPhones Detect Poisonous Gases And Air Quality

A lot of us probably take the air around us for granted, but if you’ve ever lived in a place with heavy pollution, or even more recently near an area affected by the wildfires, you know that the quality of the air we breathe is of the utmost importance. However, it wouldn’t be practical or even possible to bring around a device that can constantly monitor the air around us.

Or would it?

A patent discovered by AppleInsider has revealed that Apple could be thinking about maybe creating a system that would rely on lasers that could fit into a portable device, like an iPhone or an Apple Watch, which in turn would be able to monitor the air around us. This would not only help in detecting potential poisonous gases, but also look out for the air quality, but also things like pollen that could cause allergic reactions.

Apple’s proposal involves the use of three laser light sources and three total-internal-reflection lenses. This will then be coupled with light sensors or photodiodes. This system helps to overcome some of the problems with existing systems which might not be quite as accurate as wind could blow around particles in the air which could result in less-than-accurate readings.

It sounds like an intriguing idea and given how focused Apple is on making the Apple Watch the ultimate wearable for all things health related, who knows, perhaps a future version of the Apple Watch could also help people deal with pollen allergies.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, General
Tags: Health, iPhone, Patent