A patent that has recently been filed by Apple seems to indicate that they’re looking into the use of biometric sensors to trigger secret 911 calls. The feature would not be exclusive to emergency service distress calls but it is certainly one possible application.
“Biometric Initiated Communicaton,” would allow users to use their finger print alone to make calls, send out GPS coordinates or even stream audio or video of the event that is taking place. The patent states that the actions could be initiated using a variety of inputs including, “a particular finger or finger sequence,” “a particular timing or cadence,” or even, “a particular force.”
In the patent Apple say that other ways of contacting 911 weren’t overly practical as they are “readily apparent to someone watching.”
What do you think of a biometric panic button? Will it make us all safer or does this do no more than highlight the arcane language that is used in patent applications. Let us know below.
Via: Gizmodo and 9 to 5 Mac
