Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) recently confirmed that it spent $400 million to acquire Current Health as it continues to offer more digital health products. Current Health (Boston and Edinburgh, Scotland) is the creator of a remote patient monitoring platform that allows physicians to monitor and connect with patients in their homes. Its platform includes an […]
wearables
RhythMedix launches wearable cardiac monitor with cellular connectivity
RhythMedix announced today that it launched its next-generation RhythmStar wearable device with 4G cellular connectivity. Mount Laurel, N.J.-based RhythMedix’s next-generation RhythmStar with built-in connectivity is discreetly worn for extended remote monitoring without the need for an additional phone or communication device, according to a news release. RhythmStar is designed to enable rapid electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis […]
Study: Smartwatches, fitness trackers can detect COVID-19
Researchers are touting the use of personal sensor data from wearable technologies for identifying markers that could indicate COVID-19 infection. Led by Giorgio Quer, the research team developed a smartphone app for collecting smartwatch and activity tracker data, as well as self-reported symptoms and diagnostic testing results from individuals in the U.S., according to the […]
Could this soft, stretchable wearable help out kids?
Georgia Tech researchers are touting a wireless, wearable monitor made with stretchable electronics, saying it could be especially useful for babies and small children with skin sensitivities to conventional adhesive sensors with conductive gels. The 3-in.-wide wearable includes circuitry made of thin-film, mesh-like patterns of copper that are able to flex with the soft substrate. […]
9 wearable medtech companies at the Wearable Technology Show
Digital health wearables are increasingly making medtech strides: They can measure heart vitals, temperature and even track when someone falls. The Wearable Technology Show 2018 — March 13–14 in London — is highlighting some of the latest wearable devices in the digital health realm. Showcased technologies include sensors to help orthopedic surgery patients, a watch to […]
4 ways wearables will transform healthcare’s future
Wearable technology is moving beyond consumer-grade health and wellness devices – the daily step counters and heart rate trackers offered by the likes of Apple, Fitbit and Garmin. “They’re convenient, small, portable and inexpensive, but you don’t use consumer items for life and death,” said Dr. Arthur Combs, chief medical officer at flexible electronics company MC10 […]
9 battery and power source advances you need to know
In the drive toward tinier implantable medical devices and wearable health sensors, battery and power source technology has been a major stumbling block. As experts noted in a discussion about battery technology during DeviceTalks Minnesota in June, battery innovation in the field is especially slow. Going too fast has its risks, too. Case in point […]
Fitness trackers versus medical devices: What’s the difference?
Recent research studies have been calling into question the accuracy of fitness trackers. So when would FDA step in and regulate them as medical devices? It all comes down to the difference between low-risk general wellness devices and medical devices – a distinction covered in an FDA guidance document last year, said Michael Drues, a Boston-based […]
3D printing could make bionic skin possible: Here’s how
University of Minnesota researchers 3D printed tiny stretchable electronic sensory devices that could enable bionic skin for surgical robots – or a new class of wearables directly printed onto human skin. Their work appeared May 5 in the journal Advanced Materials. “This stretchable electronic fabric we developed has many practical uses,” said Michael McAlpine, a […]
Your fitness tracker could be misleading you
Your heart rate may be accurate on your fitness tracker, but the number of calories burned is significantly wrong, according to new research from Stanford University. The researchers suggest that although the heart rate measurements are pretty much accurate, energy expenditure measurements are probably significantly wrong. Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio […]
Apple Watch detects atrial fibrillation using built-in technology
The Apple Watch can automatically detect atrial fibrillation (AF) using its built-in heart rate sensor and artificial intelligence, according to a new study. The research used a deep neural network that was based on photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensors that are frequently found in smart watches. When paired with an artificial intelligence-based algorithm, Apple Watch’s heart rate […]
