IFA 2023. Withings adds body temperature monitoring to new ScanWatch 2 watch
By ForGeeks There’s also a more affordable ScanWatch Light model that delivers basic features in a prettier package. After nearly three years without a new smartwatch, Withings is kicking off IFA 2023 with the announcement of not one, but two ScanWatch Hybrid watches.
Withings has also introduced a more affordable ScanWatch Light, which offers basic features in a more beautiful case.
The $349.95 ScanWatch 2 is Withings’ latest smartwatch, featuring a new temperature-tracking module that uses a combination of four sensors: a thermister, heat flow, PPG (green LED for heart-rate measurement), and an accelerometer. The data from these four sensors is then fed into an algorithm that uses movement, heart rate and skin temperature data to provide health information. Withings has also introduced a slightly stripped-down, fashion-inspired version of the ScanWatch Light, priced at $249.99.
Withings has also introduced a slightly smaller version of the ScanWatch Light, priced at $249.99.
Unlike most smartwatches today, the temperature tracking feature in the ScanWatch 2 isn’t designed for advanced cycle tracking, although Withings has added the ability to log periods and symptoms right from the wrist. According to Withings, the goal is to track temperature fluctuations throughout the day and build a baseline to help wearers optimize workouts and determine when they might get sick. The ScanWatch 2 will show temperature zones during a workout and recovery temperature afterward. As for disease detection, it’s not quite the same as the warning light idea that researchers have been considering since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. You don’t get a notification that you might get sick. It’s more indirect. By building a baseline scale of temperature fluctuations, Withings makes it possible to spot abnormal fluctuations, which can then be interpreted as a sign of a possible ailment.
Withings is able to detect abnormal fluctuations, which can then be interpreted as a sign that you might be ill.
There’s a reason Withings chose to take such a roundabout route. Despite preliminary evidence that wearable devices can proactively identify potential diseases, FDA approval is required to create a full-fledged predictive function. And while Withings is no stranger to this process, it’s long, tedious, and could delay sales in the US. The original ScanWatch didn’t go on sale in the U.S. until two years after it was announced, because that’s how long it took to get the necessary FDA approval for the ECG and atrial fibrillation detection feature.
ScanWatch Light — is the same as the Apple Watch SE is to the Apple Watch Series 8. They lack the ScanWatch 2’s temperature sensors, electrocardiogram, atrial fibrillation detection, high and low heart rate notifications. They also lack altitude and blood oxygen level sensors.
They don’t have the same sensors as the Apple Watch SE.
