Getting connected: The smart devices looking out for your health

SMART devices can be used to monitor health. Whether it's weight, heart rate or blood pressure, there's now a multitude of devices capable of collecting all kinds of data and analyzing it and helping users address certain risks. Find out why smart scales or a connected blood pressure monitor could be a good gift idea this holiday season.

What can smart health devices do?

Generally speaking, the smart devices for monitoring or tracking health have one or more sensors designed to collect various types of data, whether relating to a person's body or their physical activity levels. The data recorded is gathered on an accompanying application, which can alert users to risks, such as a potential cardiac risk, for example, while also serving as a source of new daily challenges.

Activity or fitness trackers

Smartwatches or fitness tracker wristbands are now able to record all kinds of information, from the number of steps and the distance covered to heart rate and calorie expenditure. All this data is then collated and analyzed on an accompanying mobile application. Sometimes, this can give rise to tailored advice or challenges for the user. Soon, certain devices should also be able to monitor blood sugar levels in real time.

Seriously clever scales

Today, bathroom scales are no longer used solely to check your weight. Indeed, connected smart scales can, depending on the model, gather a wealth of information on the body composition of the user. Some models can even indicate if the person is subject to high blood pressure or could possibly develop cardiovascular disease. The next generation of products could even analyze a user's posture and balance.

Blood pressure and electrocardiogram

One major specialist in the field of smart health is French company Withings, which markets some highly advanced connected products for home use. These include blood pressure monitors, one of which even incorporates an electrocardiogram function and an electronic stethoscope.

In addition to monitoring blood pressure and heart rate, this device lets users obtain an electrocardiogram at any time and to listen to the sound of their heart, all in the aim of preventing potential strokes or detecting valvular heart disease. – ETX Daily Up, December 4, 2021