The new Apple Watch Series 8 has an improved gyroscope and accelerometer that can detect if you’ve been in a car accident. That was one of several announcements from Apple’s event Wednesday in Cupertino, California, where the company showcased its latest technical and service innovations.
Google has offered car accident detection on select Pixel smartphone models for some time now, and the newly announced iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 14 Pro have it. But the Series 8 is one of – if not the only – smartwatch on the market with this feature.
Vehicle accident detection on the Series 8 – rumored late last year – is made possible by a new three-axis gyroscope and a “high g-force” accelerometer that samples data four times faster than the previous generation (and up to 256 Gs force) ). Using an algorithm that runs on the device along with the barometer, the Series 8 can detect crashes in most types of vehicles and automatically notify emergency contacts and services if the user does not respond within 10 seconds, according to Apple.
Image Credits: Apple
Apple explains it this way in a press release:
Around the . to make [crash detection] algorithm, data was collected from these new motion sensors in professional crash test labs with ordinary passenger cars in simulated real-life accidents, including frontal collisions, rear-end collisions, side-impact collisions and rollover.
In addition to motion data, crash detection uses the barometer, GPS and the microphone on [a paired] iPhone as input to detect the unique patterns that can indicate if a serious accident has occurred… When a serious car accident is detected, the emergency call interface appears on Apple Watch as it is most likely closer to the user while the call is placed through the iPhone when it is within range for the best possible connection.
Apple allegedly used data shared anonymously by iPhone and Apple Watch users to develop the aforementioned algorithm. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has used a dataset of more than 10 million suspected vehicle collisions to improve the accuracy of its crash-detection system, comparing crash data with calls to 911 — as accidents related to 911 calls are more likely are legitimate.