An Apple patent application makes a cryptic reference to the possibility that future Apple Watches will be able to track fingers with a higher degree of accuracy.

The Apple Watch has sensors on the underside of the watch that press against the wearer's wrist in order to monitor the wearer's activity as well as their biorhythms. These sensors are located on the smartwatch's underside. A new patent application raises the possibility that future iterations of Apple's wearable could incorporate sensors within the watch band to monitor hand gestures as well. This would be in addition to the sensors that are already present in the watch. The muscles and tendons in the wrist are said to shift when someone wearing an Apple Watch makes a hand gesture, as stated in the proposed patent for the product. Because of this shift, the wrist sends out electrical signals, which can be monitored by electrodes that are threaded through the band of the watch. 

The range of motions that a band like this can track is depicted in the figures below. These motions include the palm being moved up and down, the wrist being rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, and lateral motions (like waving). According to AppleInsider, which was the first publication to report on the newly submitted patent application, Apple Watches already have accessibility features that enable users to control their watches by pinching a thumb and finger together or by clenching their fist.

Because of these features, users are able to control their watches by either squeezing their fists or pinching their thumbs and index fingers together. A general increase in accessibility may be achieved by enhancing the capabilities of gesture recognition. If there were more ways to monitor one's fitness and health, this could also lead to improvements in the monitoring of one's body movement. One of these enhancements would be the capability of using your arms in a flexed position in order to obtain more precise readings from your workout. If the gesture detection is sensitive enough, 1 inch ratchet straps could prompt Apple to find ways for its wearables to control other devices.  These could include playing games or navigating the menus on Apple TV. If the gesture detection is sensitive enough, it could prompt Apple to find ways for its wearables to control other devices. In the not-too-distant future, when or if ever a sensor-packed wristband makes it to production, which is a long way off, that will be the case. It is still unknown whether Apple will be able to make a flexible band that will enable the Apple Watch to add more bio-tracking capabilities to its arsenal of body-monitoring tools.

Despite the fact that Apple has been successful in incorporating additional sensors and harnessing existing ones in its smartwatches to track additional metrics like blood oxygen level and skin temperature, it is still unknown whether the company will be able to make a flexible band. There are still many years to go before we have access to intelligent wearables capable of performing well enough to supplant our existing closets completely. The error is going to be fixed on April 7 at 4:42 in the morning. There was a mistake in the previous version of this article regarding the current standing of Apple's application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is currently conducting an examination of the item at issue, which is an application for a patent.