Smart watches are increasingly becoming health aids. The new Apple Watch can now even measure the oxygen saturation in the blood.
With the further development of the Apple Watch to the current Series 6, the tech company from Cupertino has once again focused on the health aspects of its users. A new function was the ability to conveniently measure the oxygen saturation in the blood on the wrist. With a click on the corresponding app, the measurement starts, which lasts 15 seconds. At the end you get the result immediately.
In healthy people, the normal value is around 95 to 100 percent, possibly sometimes a little lower in phases. Smokers also usually have a slightly lower value. The measurement is made possible by new types of sensors on the underside of the watch, which illuminate the skin and the vessels below with four LED clusters. From there, the light reflects back and is registered by photodiodes. Put simply: the redder the blood is, the more oxygen it transports at that moment.
Apple Watch SE has fewer health functions
The Apple Watch expands its "doctor's office" with another feature. In addition, there is of course still the option of measuring your pulse and also having a simple EKG written, which can at least provide information about existing cardiac arrhythmias. The weaker version of the new Apple Watch SE, however, does not yet have the ECG and blood oxygen measurement. Only the possibility of heart rate measurement is also available.
Other manufacturers already offer blood pressure measurement
Apple is once again deepening a trend that has lasted for a long time: The focus of modern smart watches is increasingly on health and fitness. Other manufacturers sometimes have even more options for monitoring body functions. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active or the Asus Vivowatch BP have integrated blood pressure measurement. It is not yet known whether Apple will soon take over this function.
But be careful: Especially for people who are already ill, an Apple Watch does not, of course, replace a visit to the doctor. The other way around, if you feel unwell despite good values in the Apple Health app, you should still go to a doctor, if you have acute complaints, go to a hospital. With all the love for gimmicks, the technology is not that far …