Huawei has released a smartwatch that inflates around the wrist to take accurate blood pressure readings, just like a cuff around the arm at a doctor’s office.
The new Huawei Watch D, which is being demonstrated at IFA 2022 in Berlin this week, has an airbag inside the strap that slowly inflates around the wrist.
Blood pressure is a critical indicator of overall health, but when taken by a doctor it can be altered by something known as the “white bat” effect.
This is where blood pressure rises slightly when we are at the doctor, due to the slight increase in anxiety of being in a clinical setting.
The new Huawei Watch D, which is being shown at IFA 2022 in Berlin this week, slowly inflates on your wrist
The strap includes a component that gradually inflates, like a cuff around the arm in a doctor’s surgery
HOW IS BLOOD PRESSURE MEASURED?
Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the heart uses to pump blood around the body, and it rises and falls in a cycle with each pulse.
It is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and the reading is always given in two numbers: systolic (pressure when the heart expels blood) and diastolic (pressure when the heart rests between beats).
Systolic represents the maximum blood pressure and diastolic represents the minimum blood pressure.
By taking blood pressure at home, Huawei Watch D users will be able to avoid the “white coat” effect and get accurate readings.
Huawei Watch D will be launched in the European market as a certified medical device, so users can trust that the information on it is accurate.
It will retail at £400 and will be available to buy in the UK from the Huawei Store from October.
The device has a “traction strap, ergonomic arc airbag, and butterfly closure,” Huawei says, which are designed to remain stable during inflation to “improve the accuracy of impromptu blood pressure readings.”
At IFA 2022, MailOnline tested the device and got a blood pressure reading in the ‘normal’ range.
Users only need to wear the watch for one minute and keep their arm still as the strap gradually inflates and tightens around the wrist.
After one minute, the watch display provides both systolic and diastolic pressure readings in color-coded categories: low, normal, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension.
The systolic reading represents the maximum blood pressure and the diastolic reading is the minimum blood pressure.
A high systolic reading in even one arm can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease.
At IFA 2022, MailOnline tested the device and got a blood pressure reading in the ‘normal’ range. Upper, systolic blood pressure (SYS) and lower, diastolic blood pressure (DIA). The systolic reading represents the maximum blood pressure and the diastolic reading is the minimum blood pressure. There is also a pulse reading in beats per minute (bpm)
After one minute, the watch display shows both systolic and diastolic pressure readings in color-coded categories: low, normal, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension.
Blood pressure is a critical indicator of overall health, but when taken by a doctor it can be altered by something known as the “white bat” effect. This is where blood pressure rises slightly when we’re at the doctor’s, due to the slight increase in anxiety from being in a clinical setting (file photo)
MailOnline’s ECG results were also “normal”, although the watch said “this information is for reference only and should not be used for medical diagnosis”.
Huawei Watch D can also perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) test, which can be used to check heart rhythm and electrical activity, although Huawei advises anyone with a pacemaker or other implantable device not to use this feature .
To take the ECG test, users simply hold their finger against a sensor module on the side of the watch for 30 seconds.
MailOnline’s ECG results were also “normal”, although the watch told me that “this information is for reference only and should not be used for medical diagnosis”.
Huawei Watch D also supports sleep monitoring, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, skin temperature detection and stress monitoring, and is equipped with more than 70 training modes.