Smart Watch: Heart rate monitors are part and parcel of smartwatches and fitness trackers now, but electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) is the new sensor in town.
The technology is designed to help people keep closer tabs on their heart health, and can even be used to help identify atrial fibrillation (Afib) a serious medical condition that is a leading cause of stroke.
What is ECG?
Most of the wearables on the market at the moment have optical heart rate monitors inside them. This is a monitor that uses flashing LEDs to penetrate the skin and detect blood flow. When light is reflected off the flow of blood, it’s captured by the sensors. The algorithm then gets to work to produce heart rate data.
Enter the electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Rather than measuring blood flow, it’s designed to measure how well your heart is working.
It’s a term you’d more commonly hear in the medical industry, referring to an electrocardiograph that’s used to detect any cardiac abnormalities.
Why would I buy an ECG smartwatch?
Smart Watch: They key question for many people is ‘why buy an ECG smartwatch?’. Well, for many (dare we say most people) the feature is something you’ll likely use once and then forget about. But for a large subset of people, ECG is absoutely essential.
“ECG on wearables is super high value for a small segment. It is probably going to be more advantageous to our users over 50 than 20 – 25 year olds, but we’re trying to build something for everybody,” Dr Conor Heneghan, Director of Research Algorithms at Fitbit told Wareable.
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