Apple Watch can be used to detect Parkinson’s symptoms

Apple has released a so-called Movement Disorder API for the open source ResearchKit framework, which allows the Apple Watch to be used to monitor certain symptoms of Parkinson’s.

With the Movement Disorder API, app developers using ResearchKit will have the ability to passively monitor an Apple Watch running on watchOS 5 and monitor any symptoms of Parkinson’s throughout the day, 9to5Mac reports.

Specifically, this concerns two symptoms: essential tremor and dyskinesia. The former symptom involves the twitching of a body part, often an arm, while the patient is trying to perform a particular movement or action. Dyskinesia stands for involuntary movements.

The idea is that physical diagnostic tests to determine the severity of symptoms and journaling to chart the course of symptoms are no longer necessary because the Movement Disorder API can automate this process. Apps can organize and visualize the data by means of graphs.

Developers need to sign up to access the Movement Disorder API. Apple will make the API available from the second developer release of watchOS5.

Photo: 9to5Mac.