A new patent registered by Apple in July 2022 and granted this week indicates that the company is studying a biometric authentication system able to scan user’s whole body, and not just your face or your fingerprints. The information is from AppleInsider.
Entitled “Electronic Devices with Body Composition Analysis Circuitry” (Something like “Electronic Devices with Body Composition Analysis Circuits”), the patent describes a device like the iPhone being used not only to identify a person, but also to recognize possible changes in his body (such as the level of fat accumulated in a specific region, for example).
According to Maçã, scanning can take place from head to toe, that is, from bottom to top, and might rely either on a single image of the user’s body or on several images of separate parts (face, neck, abdomen, legs , etc). In addition, the collected data might also include photos of the user from the front and profile and while he is breathing or walking, for example.
As body fat tends to be stored in certain pockets of fat, such as cheek and neck regions, these places may be more indicative of body composition than other regions.
While the patent also mentions that this feature might be used to identify the user, it is quite possible that it is reserved more for health purposes given that scanning a whole body would take much longer than just a face/finger. The company itself says that people who use its devices to achieve health goals might receive “insights regarding your overall well-being” with this technology.
For example, the shape of a user’s forehead may exhibit little variation as the user’s body fat changes, while parts of the cheeks and neck may exhibit detectable changes that directly correlate with changes in body composition.
The patent also opens up the possibility for the user to answer a questionnaire regarding his body so that an application like Saúde (Health), from iOS, use the collected data to offer information with even more precision, it is worth noting.
However, the Cupertino giant cites another somewhat controversial application for this technology. According to the company, the data collected by this system might also be used to offer personalized ads to the user on their device – something somewhat worrying from a privacy point of view.
The list of devices that might be equipped with this technology, in turn, is quite wide and ranges from iPads to notebooks.
And you, would you like to see this “Body ID” come true? Comment!