Fitbit starts study into possible cuff-free blood pressure monitoring
April 9, 2021
Wearables like smartwatches and fitness bands have become more than just devices to track your notifications and your fitness activities. Over the years they have become health trackers as well as some of them can now track your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, and even ECG. There are still a few more things that are theoretically possible to be tracked on wearables but they need to be studied more. Fitbit Labs is now looking at a way to measure blood pressure without the usual cuffs.
High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the largest silent killers and one way to detect it is through regular blood pressure monitoring. But not everyone has a device in their house and even then, the devices have cuffs which can be inconvenient at times. There has been some interest in creating cuff-less devices but there hasn’t been any movement in that area. Now Fitbit Labs is looking into
Fitbit study looks into non-cuff blood pressure monitoring
JC Torres - Apr 7, 2021, 8:06pm CDT
Smartwatches have become portable mini diagnostic centers, in no small part thanks to Apple’s push for sensors that keep track of various aspects of the wearer’s health. Those sensors have come a long way and are now able to track not just heart rate but also blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, and even ECG. There are, however, still a few biometrics that can’t be easily measured using just a fitness tracker or smartwatch, like glucose levels or blood pressure, and Fitbit’s research Labs is trying to find a way to make at least the latter easier.
Fitbit has announced it s starting trials which could see blood pressure tracking arrive on its devices.
The trial is going to run via Fitbit Labs on Fitbit Sense, which will look at Pulse Arrival Time (PAT), which is a measure of how quickly blood takes to reach your wrist after its been pumped by the heart.
Fitbit has already found a link between PAT and blood pressure from an earlier study, and now it wants to get more data from a large-scale user study.
The Fitbit Labs app will be available for Sense users in the US, and those eligible will be prompted to take part.
Fitbit smartwatches may soon monitor your blood pressure
Fitbit smartwatches may soon monitor your blood pressure Many small-time brands have attempted smartwatches with blood pressure trackers but have failed in the accuracy department.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Fitbit s said to introduce a new sensor that would monitor the blood pressure of users.
Fitbit announced in its blog that its research arm, Fitbit Labs is launching a study to look at how Fitbit devices measure blood pressure.
The test will be rolled out to users in the United States, who are above the age of 20.
Fitbit is known for producing some of the best wearables. The company has over the years introduced many fitness tracking sensors that have always provided accurate readings. Now, the company is said to introduce a new sensor that would monitor the blood pressure of users. Many small-time brands have attempted smartwatches with blood pressure trackers but have failed in the accuracy department.
Fitbit smartwatchesmay soon monitor your blood pressure
Many small-time brands have attempted smartwatches with blood pressure trackers but have failed in the accuracy department.
Ankita Chakravarti | April 8, 2021 | Updated 16:05 IST
Highlights
Fitbit s said to introduce a new sensor that would monitor the blood pressure of users.
Fitbit announced in its blog that its research arm, Fitbit Labs is launching a study to look at how Fitbit devices measure blood pressure.
The test will be rolled out to users in the United States, who are above the age of 20.
Fitbit is known for producing some of the best wearables. The company has over the years introduced many fitness tracking sensors that have always provided accurate readings. Now, the company is said to introduce a new sensor that would monitor the blood pressure of users. Many small-time brands have attempted smartwatches with blood pressure trackers but have failed in the accuracy department.