Apple Acquires Sonera in Deal That Could Bring Brain-Sensing Technology to Future Wearables

Apple has acquired Sonera, a company developing chip-based magnetic sensing technology designed for wearable devices, according to a regulatory filing in the European Union (EU). While the Cupertino-based tech giant has not disclosed how it plans to use the technology following the acquisition, it could potentially have implications for Apple's health and accessibility efforts. Sonera had previously said that its approach could enable continuous monitoring of neuromuscular activity, sports performance tracking, and advanced prosthetics control.

Apple Acquires Sonera for Magnetic Sensing Technology

Apple usually does not publicly disclose its acquisitions. However, certain deals involving designated companies are subject to disclosure requirements under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The filing, first reported by MacRumors, states that Apple, through a subsidiary, will acquire certain assets from Sonera and hire some of the company's employees. It describes Sonera as a company developing a “chip-based magnetic sensor”. The filing does not disclose the financial terms of the transaction or explain how Apple plans to use Sonera's technology.

Sonera has previously outlined its technology as a form of biomagnetic sensing designed to measure magnetic fields generated by electrical activity in the brain and body. In a 2023 press release, Sonera described its technology as a way to measure neural data without direct contact with the skin. The company said the technology could eventually make brain activity easier to measure alongside physiological signals such as heart rate and temperature.

Sonera also mentioned that its proprietary biomagnetic chip could enable a new category of consumer wearables based on muscle activity. Among the potential applications it identified were advanced prosthetics control, continuous monitoring of neuromuscular conditions, disease biomarker discovery, and sports performance tracking.

At present, it remains unclear how mature Sonera's technology is today, since most of the details date back to the announcement from 2023. The acquisition filing also does not provide information about its current capabilities or development status.

However, this could potentially have notable implications for Apple. In recent years, the company's wearables have become a platform for health monitoring, with features like heart-rate tracking, ECG measurements, blood oxygen monitoring, and other physiological measurements.

In theory, Sonera's technology could potentially give future Apple devices another way to collect information related to muscle and neural activity.