With the hot wearable device market in recent years, smart rings have also shown a growing trend with their small shape and easy to wear attributes.
According to IDC's global shipment report on wearable devices in the fourth quarter of 2021, in the segment with smart glasses, smart rings and so on as the core, the quarter achieved a 94.1% increase, of which The Oura Ring, which has been reported many times in Shenzhen Bay, has made a huge contribution.
In the smart ring market, in addition to the well-known Oura, there are brands such as Movano, Motiv, Go2sleep, Circular and other brands, which have played their own moves to attract the attention of consumers and investors.
These moves include, but are not limited to: use the ring as a device controller, use the ring as an electronic identity decoration, and use the ring as a health monitoring device to wear 24 hours a day.
> Further reading:
- Report: 2021 wearable devices shipped 530 million in the whole year, China shipped nearly 140 million, headphones are still the main force
- Smart rings can also achieve medical-grade blood oxygen and blood pressure monitoring, Fitbit, Apple and other 6 patents and products at a glance
Recently, another Indian startup has joined the field , Ultrahuman , which has received investment from a number of well-known investment institutions, with a total financing of $25 million.
Before "flaunting" the smart ring, Ultrahuman introduced an invasive continuous blood glucose monitor M1. Through a hollow needle, a small incision is made in the skin, and the blood glucose level is tracked in real time through the patch.
M1 also provides a "metabolic score" based on food intake and exercise levels, giving people an idea of how certain foods affect exercise or sleep quality.
△ Ultrahuman M1
Shenzhen Bay has reported on Abbott, the global giant in blood glucose monitoring, whose highly acclaimed Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system, the FreeStyle Libre 3, is known as the world's smallest and thinnest glucose sensor device, supporting up to 14 days of wear and supporting continuous, real-time accurate glucose measurement readings directly to mobile phones.
> Further reading: Apple can't do continuous glucose monitoring, Abbott earns 1 billion a quarter
Ultrahuman's smart rings also hit the selling point for continuous blood glucose monitoring.
Let's start with the design. It is no different from most ring products on the market, the body is made of metal titanium, while the surface is coated with a rugged tungsten carbide coating, and there are 4 colors to choose from.
For long-term comfort, the Ultrahuman Smart Ring is polished very smoothly inside. The fuselage does not have a haptic feedback device such as a screen to reduce the user's disturbance.
Look at its health monitoring function. A tiny ring with a PPG heart rate sensor, temperature sensor, and motion sensor that tracks sleep, heart rate, HRV heart rate variation, and body temperature.
Worried about consuming power too quickly? It can be used for 4 to 6 days on a single charge. This is similar to oura rings and other wearables.
Finally, let's take a look at its "killer" application, which is also the differentiating feature of Ultrahuman from other smart rings - continuous blood glucose monitoring.
In general, whether invasive or non-invasive, blood glucose monitors are more valuable in understanding the trend of numerical values through continuous glucose monitoring over a period of time, and then providing scientific advice and guidance.
Pairing Ultrahuman's ring with its continuous glucose monitor M1 allows you to get blood glucose data while understanding how food intake affects recovery and performance.
Its deep operating mechanism is to combine the physical signs data obtained by the smart ring with the blood glucose data of the blood glucose meter to attribute blood glucose changes to various signs.
Based on the data obtained by ultrahuman smart rings, users can understand the impact on blood glucose changes from multi-dimensional data such as sleep status, stress status, exercise status, etc., and even compare which sign data has a greater impact on blood sugar.
For example, for those who are prone to elevated blood sugar during sleep, once Ultrahuman finds a difference in data comparison, it can remind people that they need to pay more attention to their diet to avoid affecting sleep due to high blood sugar.
All in all, through the "positive multi-dimensional analysis + reverse health advice reminder", a benign health closed loop is formed by cooperating.
According to Ultrahuman's press release, the smart ring will be available for pre-order worldwide starting July 7 and shipping will begin in August.
Brief comments on the bay:
Compared to bracelets, watches, and even headphones, rings have natural comfort properties and are easier to wear continuously for 24 hours, so they are more valuable in the direction of health monitoring.
However, the ring is different from these types of products, and its volume currently seems to be difficult to reach the scale of other smart wearable products. This also determines that it must go a different way, and health monitoring is not a direction to overtake in a corner.
Among the various functional sectors of health monitoring, there is no doubt that continuous blood glucose monitoring is the area of most concern in recent years. This also allows Ultrahuman, a "small company" that started with continuous blood glucose meters, to innovate and use a multi-device combination to overcome technical problems and seek development opportunities.
Main Writer: Dada / Shenzhen Bay
Edit: Presentation / Shenzhen Bay