The smart ring has long played second fiddle to the smart watch. While tech giants like Apple and Google duked it out over wrists for years, the ring has been significantly quieter, a space where plucky startups have a chance to make their mark. Things are quickly changing, however.
Samsung will debut its first finger-worn wellness tracker later this month, while Oura , the category’s (relatively) veteran startup, has been making a big push into retail . With competition stepping up, Indian startup Ultrahuman ‘s latest bundle of updates make a strong case for its place in the market. Notably, it’s now offering AFib (atrial fibrillation) detection with its Ring Air .
AFib detection will be a premium option — requiring a $4.90 monthly subscription. The feature is powered by FibriCheck , a photoplethysmography (PPG)-based technique for taking a measure of heart rhythm based on applying a light source to the skin and measuring changes in blood volume as the heart pumps the fluid around the body.
FibriCheck has been approved by the FDA and European medical device regulators. AFib detection may already be familiar as it has been a flagship capability of Apple’s smart watch for several years — although Apple’s wrist-mounted wearable uses a different (but still regulator-approved) detection method that’s based on ECG (electrocardiogram). Shoppers interested in getting a wearable are likely to be choosing between buying a smart watch or a smart ring, so the greater the.
