Apple may
be working on a way for the Touch ID sensor in the iPhone to contact emergency
services quickly and easily.
An Apple
patent published recently by the US Patent and Trademark Office shows a method
for using a biometric sensor similar to the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 6
and later home button to discreetly trigger an emergency call.
Filed in
March 2013, the patent describes using a system that can recognise the
frequency, force, and even specific fingerprint used on the sensor to execute
particular commands.
The system
could be used to quickly activate a `panic alarm', which could send a GPS
signal to emergency responders, or activate a live videoaudio stream to record
an incident. Currently, leading smartphones have an option to make emergency
calls without unlocking the device, but still require the user to be on the
line with the emergency dispatcher.
But, Apple's
patented feature could allow one to designate a certain finger or special
sequence of presses to request for help without having to be engaged with the
phone throughout the emergency.
Source:The Economic Times-31st July,2017
