New Patent Shows Adjustable Fabric Watchbands For Apple Watch

Earlier today, Apple was granted a patent for a wearable that could adjust itself with what they call “adjustable fabric”. The patent shows a certain material used to create fabric for a band by intertwining strands.

A piece of the patent indicates that there can be loosening and tightening mechanisms followed by haptic feedback. Whenever an electrical current is drawn into a strand of conductive material, that material can adjust magnetical tensions in the knot, therefore self-tightening and self-loosening.

In the past, there have been proposals like this, yet this is the first time that magnetic tensions come into play. The electrical currents can change certain aspects of the band, such as its proportion and tension. In an interesting detail, certain areas of the fabric can be subject to change in shape while other areas remain the same.

In FIG. 2 we see an illustration of a wearable with an adjustable strap made with adjustable fabric. Beneath, in FIG. 3, we observe a band specifically made to be worn on a persons’ wrist.  We also see other ideas across the patent, such as this one with a mid-strand knot.

These patents are quite advanced for what is on the market today. This isn’t the first time Apple has patented something crazy. Most of the time, Apple patents an idea with no intention of ever putting in their product lineup. Although it looks a very interesting proposition, we wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t make it into the Apple Watch anytime soon.