On the occasion of CES in Las Vegas which is taking place this week, Withings presented the Body Scan, a real health station integrated into a connected scale. This can weigh you, take your usual health measurements and adds to that the taking of a lot of medical data thanks to the integration of a handle clad with sensors.
The Body Scan connected health station with its handle // Source: Withings
If there is one area where the contribution of connected technology and sensors of all kinds has enabled everyone to become more aware of and take care of themselves, it is health. With the advent of connected scales, watches capable of tracking your heart rate or blood oxygenation rate, and other health products now usable with the support of your smartphone, almost nothing escapes you, or at least to your cell phone.
Do not worry too much, this has, for those who wish, the advantage of putting at hand multiple indicators on your condition for a follow-up form as health.
French people increasingly concerned about their health
For more than 12 years and the launch of its very first connected scale, Withings has become a key player in the sector. With the various confinements due to Covid-19, we even note within the French company an evolution of the requests of French customers to have more and more advanced and precise data on health, but also, for the medical profession, a access to user data for remote monitoring which has become more democratic.
So, to satisfy all of its users, Withings designed the Body Scan, presented this week as part of CES, the international Tech show in Las Vegas. If the product looks like the brand’s previous scales (Body Cardio and Body + in particular) with its tempered glass surface (in black or white) and its 3.2-inch LCD screen, a small addition immediately sets it apart: the presence of a retractable handle on the top.
More than a connected scale, the Body Scan is now a connected health station promised as “revolutionary“. And for good reason, it does not content itself with displaying your weight, your fat masses, your BMI, possibly doing an ECG or giving you the real age of your heart. Thanks to its handle which embeds many sensors (4 electrodes distributed throughout), the station will be able to go even further in monitoring your health.
Body Scan also relies on a handful full of sensors to multiply information on your health.
It suffices to take it in hand for a few seconds during the weighing to obtain the body composition on the whole body (muscle, bone and fat masses), and no longer only via the lower body thanks to your feet placed on the platform as it was before. – possible with on-board sensors. With the addition of the handle to the platform sensors, it is now possible to know the muscle composition by limb or for the torso.
This is obviously based on an estimate, but as precise as possible with such equipment available at home. This will prove to be very practical especially for athletes who must monitor their body or if you are on a diet to have a follow-up with a better understanding.
Cardiovascular monitoring, but also nervous monitoring
But this is not the only advantage of the Body Scan. It strengthens cardiovascular monitoring with now the possibility of doing a six-lead ECG, where the Withings ScanWatch or the Apple Watch only have one circuit via the loop formed by the watch and your finger. You will also be able to have a more precise knowledge of your vascular age and your heart rate. What better way to detect atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular disease, the second leading cause of death in France.
With its new infrastructure, the station also offers monitoring of nervous activity in the feet. This will stimulate the nerves located in the sweat glands, making them react to be able to proactively detect possible complications and neuropathies. The addition of this function was made possible by the recent takeover of the startup Impeto Medical, which had designed the Sudoscan, a device used by neurologists. With the detection of so many biomarkers, it is also the possibility of more easily detecting diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
In addition, compared to other scales, the Body Scan also improves the basic experience by adjusting the precision of its weighing to 50 grams. This health station also promises an autonomy of one year per recharge.
With the sensors embedded in its handle, Body Scan can provide even more information about your health // Source: Withings
If this is not the possibility of taking the grip in hand to have more information, the Body Scan is used like a normal scale: you step on it and it will do a scan of your body to provide you on the screen. maximum data. Everything is also accessible from the Withings companion application (iOS and Android). Plethora of information for you, but also that can be shared with healthcare professionals. You will also have access to programs designed by professionals and customizable according to your health data (on mental health, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, etc.).
Because the Body Scan is also seen as an ally at home when the medical visit cannot be done at the doctor’s office. Withings offers a doctor-patient interface for follow-up for this.
Price and availability of the Body Scan
The Body Scan will be available in the second half of 2022 in white and black. It will go on sale at a price of 299.95 euros.
It’s a bit more expensive than the brand’s previous scales. But above all, it is aimed at a more targeted audience, concerned with very specific monitoring of their health or for sporting aspects. Withings indicates that its station will not be available before the end of 2022 in order to validate all the health and medical certifications required (CE for Europe or FDA in the United States).
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