Upcoming Garmin smartwatches should measure blood pressure levels and combat driver tiredness

Fatigue and microsleep are big problems when driving, as the CDC outlined in a post by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). While there are few ways to monitor this when driving, Garmin is taking steps to bring an option to market.

According to a patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Garmin has developed an algorithm that calculates drowsiness by evaluating your heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). This algorithm would link with GPS data, which would track how fast you were driving.

If your drowsiness exceeds a pre-determined level, the smartwatch will warn you aurally and visually. Presumably, you must inform the smartwatch if you are driving, rather than a passenger.

Additionally, the patent describes Garmin developing a blood pressure sensor for smartwatches. Apparently, the sensor would calculate blood pressure levels via fingers placed on the device's bezel.

Typically, smartwatch bezels are relatively thin, so it remains to be seen how Garmin could implement this on something the shape of the Venu 2 or Venu 2s. Unfortunately, the patent does not provide any information about when Garmin plans to introduce these sensors. However, it has developed similar technology before in collaboration with Mercedes, which it debuted at CES 2019.

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