Your next Google Pixel Watch might flag too much screen time
Fitbit has filed a patent for a clever way to track blue light using a camera on a watch, and it feels like something that could show up in a future Pixel Watch. It doesn’t snap or store any photos, just quickly checks the lighting around you to figure out how much blue light you’re getting.
A camera, but not for photos
The idea here is simple but clever. Most smartwatches don’t include a camera, but if one is present, it could be used in the background to gather information about the environment. This Fitbit patent doesn’t talk about photography at all. It focuses on how a camera’s automatic white balance values could act as a proxy for how much blue light is in the room or outdoors.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
These values are already computed during normal camera operation, even before a photo is taken. The device would sample them briefly, discard the image data, and use the white balance numbers to estimate the user’s exposure to blue wavelengths. It’s a way of recycling existing signals into useful health data without significantly draining battery or adding extra hardware.
The patent suggests the watch could give you a heads-up when you’ve had too much blue light. If you’re up late wearing a Pixel Watch under bright lights, it might nudge you to tone it down. It fits with things like sleep tracking and screen dimming features already found on phones.
We’ve created an AI concept image of the two watches pictured in the patent. One is rather chunky ugly looking, the other resembles the Versa/Sense range.
Why this points to Pixel Watch, not Fitbit
Fitbit might have filed the patent, but the company has clearly shifted its focus to fitness trackers. Smartwatches like the Pixel Watch are where Google is putting its energy now. A built-in camera, even one used just for sensing, doesn’t really fit with Fitbit’s current style of slim, battery-friendly bands.
Pixel Watch is a better match for this kind of feature. It already blends deep health tracking with Android smarts, and adding a simple camera could unlock new ways to track your environment and support things like sleep and focus.
We think there’s also a good chance the camera wouldn’t be limited to just one job. With the hardware in place, why not use it for other things as well. For example to scan QR codes, maybe basic face unlocking or capturing images. The patent doesn’t go there, but it’s not a stretch to see more than one feature using the same tiny sensor.
Right now, this is just a patent. It describes an idea, not something you can buy. But it gives a peek at how Google might push wearables to track more than just your body. Blue light is one example, but if a camera can pull in useful info without much effort, future Pixel Watches could tap into all kinds of ambient sensing.
This article originally appeared on Gadgets & Wearables, the first media outlet to report the story.
Source: US Patent Office, patent number 12536702
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