Apple Explores Turning AirPod Into Healthcare Devices

Apple ($AAPL@US) is looking into using its AirPod in-ear wireless buds to measure respiratory rate, a key indicator of health and fitness. Apple noted that respiratory rate could be estimated with a concordance correlation coefficient of .76 and a mean squared error of 0.2, demonstrating that audio can be a viable signal for passively estimating respiratory rate. Apple noted the reason they think they can enter the healthcare space is because “wearable headphones are relatively economical, accessible, comfortable, and aesthetically acceptable.” On Thursday morning, Apple was trading around $145 per share.