Drinking ample water every day is essential for our well-being. Apple’s latest patent filing reveals a hydration sensor designed for Apple Watch.

The patent is titled “Hydration measurement with a watch” and was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Athletes and other fitness professionals use hydration assessment techniques to measure total body water. However, the existing techniques are evasive and include single-use tests of fluid samples.

Apple’s patent reveals non-evasive electrodes that are placed on the skin. The company describes the setup as “reliable and elegant” elegant. Furthermore, the hydration feature on Apple Watch will integrate with other fitness features offering a wide range of possibilities. The sensor functions by measuring the electrical content of the Apple Watch wearer’s sweat.

The watch provides electrodes for measuring the electrical properties of the perspiration. The electrical properties, such as electrical conductance, can represent a concentration of electrolytes in the perspiration, which in turn represents a hydration level of the user. The hydration tracking can be performed non-invasively, repeatedly, accurately, automatically, and with minimal user intervention. The measurements can be used to provide useful feedback and health tracking information to a user, thereby allowing the user to better manage hydration and overall health.

According to the patent, hydration tracking can be done non-evasively at regular time intervals, similar to heart rate monitoring on Apple Watch. Eventually, the data is funneled through Apple’s health algorithms. The insights are helpful during workouts and also help in managing water intake efficiently.

Hydration level is a significant health parameter. Typically dehydration adversely impacts performance and can lead to health complications like heat strokes, hyponatremia, fatigue, coma, and even death in some cases. It is no secret that Apple is working on new health tracking feature for the Apple Watch Series 6. On a related note, recent studies revealed how one could use AirPods Pro to remotely determine respiratory rate by analyzing breathing audio samples.