Hello from PULSE – and we’re here for a news round up of some key stories you might have missed over the last couple of weeks.
I was on vacation last week during Google I/O and Conor did a stellar job of covering the key news from that event while also manning the helm on Wareable. And I enjoyed catching up with his chat with Kane McKenna from CCS Insight about the future of smart rings.
And we have hot smart ring news today – so read on for a collection of wearable tech stories and a smattering of analysis from the past weeks.
Ultrahuman gets busy – and releases Ramadan study
Ultrahuman has had a busy few weeks, with announcements ranging from the addition of Cardio Age, VO2 Max, and a partnership with Cambridge Sleep Sciences, as well as a $35m funding round, and plans to move manufacturing to the US.
But a neat Ultrahuman study into Ramadan revealed some fascinating data about fasting and how wearables can offer insights into our lifestyles.
This study investigated how people's sleep changes during Ramadan. Researchers used wearable devices to track sleep in two groups:
Ramadan Mode (RMC): People who activated a special mode in their sleep tracker app designed for Ramadan.
Dawn Sleep Deprivation (DSD): People who woke up for the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) and then slept again.
Key Findings:
Both groups experienced a decrease in sleep quality and duration during Ramadan.
The RMC group tended to stay awake later and sleep in longer stretches.
The DSD group got less sleep overall and had more disrupted sleep patterns.
It took people in both groups about two weeks to recover normal sleep patterns after Ramadan.
Polar 360 goes B2B
Back at FIBO in early May, Polar took the wrappers off Polar 360 – a new service that aims to add further strings to the Polar bow.
It caught the eye as a Whoop competitor – a screen-less band that captures many of Polar’s health metrics, such as Sleep Plus Stages, Nightly Recharge, SleepWise, Nightly Skin Temperature, 24/7 Heart Rate, Respiration Rate, and Steps/Floors.
Sadly, it’s currently a B2B product for corporate wellness schemes, that can be rebranded to appear as a particular business. It’s a shame, as I can’t help feeling it could be such a powerful device for athletes, and it would be interesting to see Whoop see some competition.
There’s no launch date yet, but we’re fascinated to see how it’s used by businesses.
In my chat with James Hewitt, we spoke about how businesses can leverage wearable metrics such as HRV to promote performance across individuals. We’ll be tracking this with interest. You can check that out below:
New Oura features
Oura is taking the drip-drip of new features and research seriously, as we receive an email about major additions to the platform almost weekly. Since I headed off on holiday, Oura added new heart health features, cycle tracking smarts, and released new research on menopause.
We covered the new Cardio Capacity and Cardiovascular Age - as it leaps into preventative health.
But on 16 May, Oura rolled out three new women’s health features: Cycle Insights 3.0, Cycle Aware Readiness, and Cycle Insights Share Report.
It also launched a new research study with the University of California, Berkeley, addressing the critical need for more diverse data in women's health research.
The study, also conducted with Clue found that:
70% of people are not sure what menopause is
1 in 5 are not sure when perimenopause starts
Nearly 1 in 3 are not sure how long perimenopause can last for
Almost 50% didn’t know that it’s still possible to get pregnant during perimenopause.
So there’s not only a massive opportunity for wearables to help women experiencing menopause but also a huge gulf in education and awareness. There’s work to be done.
Spotify co-founder launches NEKO Body Scan in London
Not quite our usual wearable tech fayre, but a neat story from the Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek caught our eye.
A new clinic called Neko, co-founded by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, uses AI and full-body scans to identify chronic diseases early. The WHO predicts that chronic diseases will be the cause of 86% of global deaths by 2050.
At a NEKO clinic, users will get a full body scan, which will create a digital twin of the user. This scan is then studied and interpreted by a doctor in a consultation.
The scan can detect a variety of chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The clinic's AI system then analyzes the scans and provides patients with a personalized health plan.
It will check the moles on your body
Examine your heart and arterial tree
Provide instant blood results for your blood values, including hemoglobin, high-sensitivity CRP, cholesterol, LDL, long-term blood sugar (HbA1c), and more.
It’s been live in Sweden for a while and costs €250 for a scan. So it’s hardly a mass service for public health good.
But as a tool for preventative health, we could see this becoming far more widely used. And it could be hugely powerful when used in conjunction with wearables data.
Garmin Health Awards
Garmin has announced its 2024 Garmin Health Awards, recognizing businesses and organizations that leverage its wearable technology to enhance health and wellness.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Garmin Health Summit, where a panel of experts and attendees will select the winners.
The call for entries highlights several award categories, including population health management, corporate wellness, patient engagement, and disease management.
Businesses can submit entries showcasing how their use of Garmin wearables has improved health outcomes, increased employee engagement, or cost savings.