An Apple patent published this week envisions a biometric system on a smartwatch which measures heart rate or other variables for identification.In the patent, a light emitter and light sensor pair are used to determine one or more characteristics of a user's vasculature.A pulse oximeter employs a light emitter and a light sensor to measure the percentage of oxygenated blood in a subject, while light emitters and light Receive motion sensors can be used to perform biometric identification information of a user based on identifying characteristics of the user's vasculature.The patent, “User Identification System Based On Plethysmography” also mentions measuring the O2 content in the blood.A pulse oximeter was found in the first-generation Watch, but its been speculated that Apple chose not to activate it in order to avoid the need for FDA approval as a medical device.The invention also envisions an extension to take in data from motion sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine user movement. Certain gestures, for example raising the device from waist height to head height, trigger the authentication process.In a March 2015 article, Planet Biometrics wrote: “The same developers who've created mobile biometric apps that leverage the rich data generated by non-biometric hardware on the iPhone can now turn their efforts to the heart rate sensor, accelerometer and gyroscope on the [Apple] watch.”We already know that it works with Touch ID and Apple Pay, but at the launch Tim Cook also noted the “incredibly intimate” feature of capturing your heartbeat and sending it another person with an Apple Watch.”One question is: Can this heartbeat also be used to authenticate someone's identity, payment or location without the need to manipulate a phone, as the Nymi band does?”Other questions would then involve patent issues, and the robustness of such a solution. But then Apple has very deep pockets, and some of the best computer scientists”.

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