Many startups at the annual CES electronics show in Las Vegas this week promise increasingly accurate biometric analysis.
A bright ring called Circular Ring is exhibited under a glass dome, but under this precious jewel appearance are hidden microsensors capable of measuring more than 140 physical parameters, from respiratory rate to body temperature.
Many emerging companies present this week at the annual CES electronics fair, in Las Vegas, they promise increasingly accurate biometric analysis, measured with increasingly discreet and user-friendly devices.
“We want to democratize personal health,” says Amaury Kosman, founder of the French start-up Circular.
It is a goal shared by many exhibitors, at a time when the pandemic has popularized telemedicine and sports at home.
However, some experts worry about the other side of the coin: the potential risks of stress or addiction.
“During the day, the ring detects the intensity of your activity. We have an energy score based on your heart rate, blood oxygenation rate, changes in temperature, and other data, ”explains Kosman.
“At night, continue: we track the phases of sleep, how long it takes to fall asleep, if you are aligned with your circadian rhythm, and so on. And in the morning it vibrates to wake you up at the right time ”, he explains, two months after the Pre-sale of the ring that will cost around 340 dollars.
The manager ensures that it is not about flooding the user with incomprehensible raw data.
The algorithm of the mobile application is responsible for translating them in the form of personalized recommendations.
No more needles
The demand is undeniable: tens of millions of people have already placed their bodies under partial or continuous surveillance.
In 2022, the sector of “wearables”, or body computing, for health and sports will represent more than 14,000 million dollars, predicts the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which is organized by the CES. This is more than double what it was in 2018.
Growth is driven by watches like Apple or Samsung, equipment that boomed during the pandemic, but also by tracking devices.
In the healthcare sector, companies want to make instruments long reserved for medical practices accessible to as many people as possible, and also facilitate remote consultations.
The Swiss Biospectal and French Quantiq, for example, use the smartphone camera.
The first proposes to measure blood pressure by placing the finger on the target, to fight hypertension on a large scale.
The second develops algorithms that calculate, with a selfie, the heart rate, the respiratory rate and the blood pressure.
The Japanese company Quantum Operation designed a prototype cuff that continuously measures the level of glucose in the blood. Thus, diabetic patients would no longer need needles.
Medical innovations can respond to real needs, but the line is blurred with practices related to the “quantified self”, which consist of measuring all kinds of physical indicators to achieve health or well-being goals.
“Dependencies”
South Korea’s Olive Healthcare introduced its latest portable infrared scanners: Bello analyzes abdominal fat (and makes recommendations to lose it) while Fitto analyzes muscle mass (and ways to increase it).
“As a society, we have to ask ourselves whether these tools solve problems or lead to new dependencies,” says Nils-Eyk Zimmermann, a German political scientist specializing in the “digital self.”
“We create a digital representation of ourselves that does not necessarily correspond to reality,” he adds. It is an image that can be positive, but also negative, even stressful, if the user regularly hears that they are not moving enough.
“I don’t think it is too much information. We can handle it, ”believes Paul Buckley, Withings’ US sales director.
Refers to Body Scan, the connected scale presented by this French company at CES. He plans to “transform the morning weigh-in into a true proactive health routine,” he promises in the statement.
Its retractable handle with electrodes performs an electrocardiogram and analyzes in detail the body composition of each part of the body.
The base takes care of nervous activity to detect possible warning signs of diabetes.
“When people go to the doctor, they don’t necessarily get told everything,” Buckley cautions. “Now you can make daily changes because you will be better informed about what is happening in your body.” (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
