Apple’s next headphones will be able to track health data and fitness data

Apple seems to be taking a lot of interest in wearables of late especially in fitness and health — and based on a new patent that interest has been growing steadily recently. According to Apple Insider, the company was granted a patent today for headphones that can detect head gestures and monitor their wearers’ activity, temperature, perspiration, and heart rate.

These will be mainly worn during sports and exercise, letting their sensors monitor a wearer’s performance. But while headphones are a natural accessory for a workout, they’re not something you’d wear all day, making the potential device far more limited than the type of always-on fitness and health trackers that people are interested in today.