Google-owned Fitbit is a compact, efficient device that can conduct several essential vital signs and biometrics monitoring on a minute basis.
There are several different models available in the market today, and almost everyone is popular among its diverse and growing fan base – athletes, corporate workers, chronic patients, persons with special abilities, etc.
Surprisingly, a Fitbit that tracks blood pressure is still not available in the market, though. And after waiting for years for the addition of such a simple but revolutionary technology, the wait might finally be over.
When Will The Fitbit Blood Pressure Monitor Launch?
Do Fitbits track blood pressure at the moment? No, there is no available technology at the moment that can precisely measure blood pressure through a watch.
The most portable blood pressure monitoring devices available in the market today require multiple cuffs and bulky trackers.
Surprisingly, Fitbit started developing this unique product as far back as in April 2021 when its regular users were encouraged to take part in a month-long study on blood pressure tracking.
Big, happy news – Fitbit has filed a US-based, internationally relevant patent for a blood pressure sensor that can be directly included in the smartwatch, according to Gizmochina. The patent currently rests with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
What does this mean? Firstly, it means that the Fitbit blood pressure monitor has been created, researched, and finally transformed into a workable sketch that might be suitable for a patent. Secondly, this proves that the new smartwatch with Fitbit blood pressure tracking will be available in the market possibly within one or two years.
That being said, it is unfortunately not known when the Fitbit blood pressure smartwatch will hit the market. The company will need to carry out several internal and external tests, services, and licenses from various professionals and boards before this patent might be suitable for human use.
What Features Most Fitbit Bands and Smartwatches Include Now?
The new Fitbit that tracks blood pressure was developed by Fitbit’s VP of research Shelten Yuen, who has been a part of the company since 2007 and has made a name for himself in the field of surgical robotics.
His promising words relating to Fitbit BP tracking were “If high blood pressure was easier to measure, people could manage it earlier, which might help avoid preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke.”
In general, most of the Fitbit smartwatches and bands have these features in common:
- Heart rate
- Burnt calories
- Number of steps covered
- Running mileage
- Sleep quality and pattern
- Day-to-day stress levels
- Traveled distance through GPS monitoring
What To Expect From The In-built Blood Pressure Monitor?
Blood pressure has become one of the most crucial vital signs to check for, thanks to the stressful life we all lead daily.
It is usually measured with a cuff that first tightens an area of the body (preferably the arm) and then slowly loosens it. The intensity at which blood re-enters this region measures the strength of the person’s heartbeat.
The metric measurement for BP is millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and gives two values – systolic and diastolic.
The average normal for BP is 140 under 90 mmHg. Here, systolic is a measurement of the pressure in your arteries when your heart is beating and diastolic is the measure of pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest.
But Fitbit is going a step ahead here. With a sensor that does the tracking for you without the need for cuffs, blood pressure readings will be automatic and pain-free. There will be no concept of forgetting to read your blood pressure on time or having to take out valuable minutes of your life for a blood pressure reading multiple times a day.
According to the patent drawing, all a user will have to do then is touch the screen on the side and press hard. The device will read their body metrics.
The smartwatch sensor for blood pressure tracking used by Fitbit is believed to have a force sensor and PPG sensor (photoplethysmography). Combining both these sensors, the Fitbit that can track blood pressure will be able to measure the pressure created by the heart rate as well as give an accurate heart rate reading – the built-in oscillometric calculator can take data from both sensors and make reading blood pressure possible.
Conclusion
Originally, only hospital settings under the supervision of a nurse or a general practitioner were considered proper for blood pressure testing. For the last couple of decades, people have been successfully testing their blood pressure at home multiple times a day using portable kits.
The need for this product is very apparent, with consumer demand forcing more and more companies to look into health technology. One of the biggest competitors to Fitbit that also wants to develop a similar product is Apple itself – a company that is trying to develop a holistic blood pressure calculator that can measure blood oxygen, temperature, and even skin conductivity!
