Withings’ BeamO may be CES 2024’s coolest health gadget
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Withings has a reputation for making excellent smart devices that help you maintain a healthy lifestyle by staying on top of things like weight, blood pressure, and more. Now, at CES 2024, the company has announced an advanced 4-in-1 “multiscope” that can measure multiple vital statistics all at once.
Called the Withings BeamO, the new palm-sized device combines an electrocardiogram (ECG), oximeter, stethoscope, and thermometer, letting you keep track of your heart and lung health in addition to your temperature.
“Once, body temperature was the only health scan routinely taken at home. BeamO will revolutionize the measurement of the core vitals carried out during medical visits from the comfort of one’s own home. This crucial data will provide a vital overview of overall health or warning signs of potential areas of concern,” Withings President and founder Éric Carreel said in today’s press release.
The ‘thermometer of the future’
Withings’ goal with BeamO is to allow users to measure these key statistics more regularly by doing them at home rather than only a few times a year when they visit their doctor or other medical care professional.
As the name implies, BeamO uses light wave sensors and acoustic information that allows it to detect blood flow patterns and temperature to determine blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels and heart rate readings through a single-lead ECG similar to what’s found on higher-end smartwatches like the Apple Watch.
Users need only lightly grip BeamO to initiate these measurements, which will show up right away on its color LED screen.
BeamO also builds on Withings’ Thermo sensor technology to measure core body temperatures using a noninvasive infrared scan of the temporal artery. The second-generation sensor can perform contactless measurements thanks to a new mono-element thermophile that uses a more focused infrared beam.
BeamO also incorporates a digital stethoscope that can be used to capture acoustic sounds through the chest or back for precise heart and lung measurements. A set of intuitive tutorials is provided to help users position the device properly, and a USB-C port allows the user to hear the results or stream audio to a telehealth professional who can help guide placement to focus on specific areas of interest.
Withings promises that BeamO will be able to conduct all of these checks of your body temperature, heart, and lung health in under a minute, alerting you to issues such as fevers, infections, atrial fibrillation, and more.
As expected, health data from BeamO can be synced to the Withings app over Wi-Fi, which will be introducing new capabilities to help use BeamO and track these health stats, including the previously mentioned tutorials and a history of health readings presented in a way that’s easily understandable by those who aren’t health professionals.
Withings has not yet announced a release date or pricing for BeamO as it still needs to be cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can be made available for sale or distribution in the U.S.
