Posts Tagged: Withings’
I reviewed the Withings ScanWatch 2. It isn’t like other smartwatches
The Withings ScanWatch 2 hybrid smartwatch has the right look, but does it have the tech covered too? We find out in our review.
Digital Trends
Withings gets FDA approval for its upcoming Body Scan Connected Health Station
The Withings Body Scan Connected Health Station has received the go-ahead from the FDA and is set to launch this fall. Engadget’s Daniel Cooper tried it earlier this year and had “nothing but praise for” the luxury smart scale when trying it earlier this year, although he also described its $ 400 price tag as “mad money” to pay for an extravagance many of us won’t need.
The Body Scan was announced back at CES 2022, seemingly another epoch in the fast-moving world of consumer tech. Withings initially priced the scale at $ 300, but after getting caught in FDA approval limbo — and facing inflation and a semiconductor crisis during that window — its cost grew.
As for what you get for that significant investment, the scale is a powerhouse. It’s the first FDA-approved health station that detects atrial fibrillation through a six-lead ECG. In addition, it analyzes your segmented body composition, measures nerve activity and monitors your vascular age. It even uses Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) to monitor foot sweat levels to screen for signs of neuropathy.
During Engadget’s time with it, we found the process to be straightforward and nearly effortless. “Get on the scale, hold the grab at pelvis height and wait 90 seconds for it to do its thang,” Daniel Cooper wrote in February. “It’ll run the gamut of tests measuring your weight, body fat, muscle mass, visceral fat, ECG, Pulse Wave Velocity, vascular age and nerve health. It’ll then relay those data points to you in a big, bright, bold and easy-to-read manner, followed by the day’s weather and an indicator about the local air quality (pulled from an online service).”
The device itself consists of a tempered glass platform with an integrated retractable handle. It has four weight sensors, 14 ITP electrodes on the scale and four stainless steel electrodes in the handle. Withings says its battery will last 12 months before needing a recharge. The device’s display is a 3.2-inch color LCD for viewing your metrics. Withings says the scale’s weight measurements are precise down to 0.1 lbs. It measures Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
The Withings Body Scan Connected Health Station will be available this September for $ 400.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/withings-gets-fda-approval-for-its-upcoming-body-scan-connected-health-station-190021767.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
A first look at Withings’ toilet bowl urine analyzer
There are certain things you can’t really demonstrate in the same way as other pieces of consumer electronics. A WiFi-connected urine analyzer that sits in your toilet and samples your pee for analysis is one such gadget. That’s why I had to go to a behind-closed-doors event in a private suite here at CES in Las Vegas to test out this prototype version of Withings’ U-Scan.
U-Scan is Withings first attempt at a body fluid-analysis device, albeit one with the weight of such a well-regarded brand in the health tech space. The shell-shaped hardware sits on the edge of your bowl like a scent block, and catches a small sample of fluid while you’re micturating. After around a minute, users will find conclusions about their menstrual cycle or nutrition, depending on what cartridge is installed, pushed to their phone.
Regardless of biology, you’ll need to sit down on the toilet to use this thing, and that it’s a little surprising when the hardware lights up when it starts working. You’ll certainly know when it is as well, since it makes a fairly noticeable whirring noise while your sample is processed. At this early stage, I was able to receive information about two stats: The pH of my urine as well as its specific gravity.
Now, I could reveal what my stats were, but I’d much rather not spoil the video where you can learn a little bit more about how it all works.
Withings’ $500 toilet computer wants to be WebMD for your pee
Withings has already made a name for itself as a maker of smart scales and ultra-stylish activity trackers. Now, the French health-tech company is making a foray into the world of medical analysis, building a device to scan people’s urine. It’s initially intended as a way of supporting decentralized clinical trials, the company hopes to offer it as a consumer health-tech device in the future. Say hello to U-Scan.
U-Scan is a pebble-shaped device that hangs from a plastic tab on the side of your toilet bowl, much like a deodorizer block. The hardware, 90mm in diameter, is intended to sit on the porcelain where most people’s pee streams would land. There’s a collection inlet at the lowest point, and a sensor will detect the presence of urine and trigger a pump you pull a small quantity into its body. From there, the sample is pumped into a microfluidic system which triggers a chemical reaction.
Sitting underneath the U-Scan itself will be a cartridge, which contains the specific test that you’re looking for. The company has, so far, partnered with two medical centers in Europe to explore ways of discovering renal lithiasis and bladder cancer. It’s hoped that the system will eventually be used to mass-screen for cancer markers and support medical studies.
In terms of the consumer units, the company has developed U-Scan Cycle Sync, designed to be used for period tracking. The idea is to provide detailed, regular testing to enable fine-grain cycle tracking without the need for calendar apps. As well as predicting your menstrual cycle, the system says it’ll predict your ovulation window, hydration levels and nutrient levels.
The other is U-Scan Nutri Balance, which offers a “detailed metabolic guide to hydration and nutrition.” This will look at your water balance, nutrient levels, fat metabolism and quantities of vitamin C found in your pee. Most crucially, you'll be able to monitor your ketone levels, as well as the pH of your urine, good for determining if you’re eating a healthy enough diet.
When processed, the results of the tests are shared to a server over WiFi or Bluetooth, and then the cartridge will reset with a fresh test pod. The company says that U-Scan is sufficiently smart to distinguish different users, such as various family members in a home, and separate tests accordingly.
Withings has also said that its system conforms to the highest security standards, and that its data will always be held in France, in a GDPR-compliant setup. It says that U-Scan will run for three months before needing a recharge (over USB-C) and a replacement cartridge.
In terms of pricing, and availability, you’ll expect that whatever date Withings says, it may be delayed due to regulatory approvals. The company says that U-Scan will be first made available in Europe at some point in Q2, 2023, with the Nutri Balance and Cycle Sync cartridges. A starter kit, with one reader and cartridge, will be priced at €499.95 ($ 530), while replacement cartridges are expected to cost €30 ($ 31). A US release will take place at some point afterward, whenever the FDA decides to clear the product for consumer use.
Withings ScanWatch Horizon stuns with elegant simplicity
The $ 499 Horizon smartwatch is an analog beauty pared down to the essentials.
Mobile | Digital Trends
Withings’ Body Scan scale can measure the composition of different parts of your body
Over five years after the release of the Body Cardio (and one flirtation with Nokia), French company Withings has released its far most technologically advanced connected scale yet, the Body Scan. The big change over the last model is the addition of a handle with four stainless steel electrodes that allows it to measure ECG, segmented body composition (fat/water in your arms, legs and torso) and even esoteric things like nerve activity. All of these features will also make it one of the most expensive scales yet when it arrives to market.
Withings says it's the number one US smart scale manufacturer and created the Body Scan "because users are demanding more and more medical and health data and information," Withings CEO Mathieu Letombe told Engadget in French.
The new scale is certainly designed to deliver that. Though the design and high-strength tempered glass construction are similar to the previous Body Cardio, it's loaded with extra sensors that can tell you more than ever about your body. That includes four weight sensors, 14 ITO (Indium tin oxide) electrodes within the platform and four stainless steel electrodes on the new handle. The battery can now go for a year between charges compared to nine months before and it packs a larger, higher-resolution 3.2-inch LCD color display.
The handle allows safe, low-level electrical signals to pass through your entire body, not just your feet — much as you may have seen on some advanced gym scales. To start with, that enables a new 6-lead ECG that can detect heart arrhythmias via two sets of electrodes on each side of the handle and one within the base of the sale. That compares to a single lead on smartwatches, so the Body Scan can deliver more specific results "that can easily be ready by a cardiologist," said Letombe.
An embedded algorithm can detect heart patterns associated with atrial fibrillation, showing the results on the display or Withings' Health Mate app. Those can be stored to show trends or "shared with medical professionals from the app," according to Withings. "Each time you weigh yourself, the scale can deliver that information, thanks to the new handle."
In terms of your weight, Withings claims the Body Scan is accurate to within 0.1 pounds (50 grams) or double the previous model, but that's just the start of showing your body makeup. It uses multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure whole-body fat and water percentage, visceral fat, muscle and bone mass and extracellular and intracellular water. It can even provide readings for individual body parts, including your torso, arms and legs. All of that allows you to spot things used by health experts and sports professionals like dangerous localized fat or muscle imbalance, Withings said.
Working with a French company called Impeto Medical, Withings also developed a feature to assess nerve activity. It can track sweat gland activity in the feet (sudomotor function) using a small direct current via the electrodes located in the plate. Impaired function in that regard could show signs of degeneration of small nerve fibers, something that can be corrected with regular activity and a healthy diet.
"It's a useful function, because there are a lot of chronic health issues like obesity associated with poor nerve function," Letombe told me. "Impeto creates devices used by neurologists and others doctors that can cost upwards of 10,000 euros, and the Body Scan is a consumer product that, again, does that every time you weigh yourself." At the same time, Withings will be able to collect nerve activity data from millions of users that could be useful for medical research and patient care.
Along with the scale, Withings is also introducing (yep) a subscription service, with the price yet to be announced. It will "allow users to connect with medical specialists for advice and consultation while providing clinical teams with data in real-time," Withings said. It'll also offer personalized health plans, videos and more covering topics like nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress management to help users with their health goals.
With the Body Scan, Withings will be offering consumers one of the more advanced health, sports and medical home devices out there — at a price. It's expected to cost $ 300 when it arrives to the US and Europe in the second half of 2022 following FDA clearance, or $ 100 more than the Body Scan's launch price. That will include three free months of the subscription service, but it's still big chunk of change for a scale.
A lot will depend on whether it delivers on all the promised features with reasonable accuracy and if it receives its FDA clearance in a timely manner. That's not necessarily a given, as it took Withings well over a year to get its ScanWatch cleared by the FDA after it was first released. The company also had issues with its Pulse Wave Velocity (PVW) heart health feature, and pulled it in some regions over regulatory concerns.
Given all that, it's fairly bold on Withings' part to introduce a scale with even more advanced medical and health functionality. "We think that's how we can advance a user's health, not by asking an extra effort, but delivering more targeted information on a product they use every day," said Letombe.
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Withings splits from Nokia, announces the improved Steel HR Sport fitness tracker
After a back-and-forth of being purchased and split off from Nokia, Withings is back on its own with a brand new fitness tracker to appeal to the masses. The Steel HR Sport is at its heart a fitness-focused device, but it looks classy enough that you’d pretty easily mistake it for a pretty nice analog […]
Come comment on this article: Withings splits from Nokia, announces the improved Steel HR Sport fitness tracker
Withings ‘Baby Mode’ offers a comfortable way to track an infant’s weight
Parents with infants have a new and comfortable way to keep track of their baby’s weight thanks to the Baby Mode feature that has recently added to the Withings Body and Body Cardio scale.
The post Withings ‘Baby Mode’ offers a comfortable way to track an infant’s weight appeared first on Digital Trends.
Nokia to eliminate Withings brand starting this summer
It may not seem like it, but almost a year ago Nokia announced they were buying Withings for the price of $ 191 million. At the time of the announcement, there was no indication as to whether Nokia would stick with the Withings branding. In an announcement at MWC 2017, the company confirmed that starting this […]
Come comment on this article: Nokia to eliminate Withings brand starting this summer
In response to Nokia lawsuit, Apple pulls all Withings products
Just a few days after Nokia announced a series of lawsuits against the iEmpire, Apple seems to have tacitly agreed to engage in battle by pulling all Withings products from its digital shelves.
The post In response to Nokia lawsuit, Apple pulls all Withings products appeared first on Digital Trends.
Nokia to announce launch of sleek and functional Withings Steel HR smartwatch
Withings, a Nokia-owned company, has taken the wraps off of its latest smartwatch — the Withings Steel HR. The device doesn’t just offer excellent smartwatch functionality, but it also has a super sleek design.
The post Nokia to announce launch of sleek and functional Withings Steel HR smartwatch appeared first on Digital Trends.
Withings’ Activité Steel looks as gorgeous as the original, but for a fraction of the price
The Activité Steel is the newest addition to Withing’s Activité line of stylish trackers that pack all the power of a Fitbit into an attractive, analog watch. The Steel is cheaper than the original Activité, but features many of the same materials.
The post Withings’ Activité Steel looks as gorgeous as the original, but for a fraction of the price appeared first on Digital Trends.