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Digital health company Withings announced its BeamO “multiscope,” a device that can perform four health checks in under a minute.
The Beamo fuses the capabilities of thermometer, electrocardiogram, oximeter and stethoscope in an at-home checkup device. In other words, the multiscope can do more than a fitness watch and leapfrog other single-purpose devices.
The aim is to let people do more tests at home and talk to doctors in remote calls about the results, advancing the efficiency of telemedicine.
Typically, temperature is the only health scan performed regularly at home, Withings said. BeamO is positioned to become the new thermometer of the future in every home, and observe heart and lung health at the same time, the company hopes.
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Withings is based in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, and it’s showing the tech off at CES 2024, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas next week. Of course, there will be tons of competition out there from other digital health companies, all vying to be the one solutions to solve them all. I’m looking at a Circular health ring on my desk, I’ve got an Apple Watch and I’ve got an iPhone.
That arms me with far more information than I’ve ever had before. Many devices can connect to the phone and aggregate data. We don’t have our Star Trek Tricorder yet, but we’re getting there. Last year, Withings made headlines at CES 2023 with its urinalysis tool based on toilet readings.
This advanced “multiscope” will place the ability to measure core health vitals taken during physician visits into the palm of the hand and will become available in the United States following FDA clearance, Withings said.
For the first time, BeamO will combine ECG, oximeter, stethoscope, and thermometer sensors to turn the humble thermometer into a powerful tool for regular monitoring of heart and lung health. Portable and smaller than a smartphone, it is designed to help individuals and families perform at-home checkups and to substantially improve the quality of telehealth visits.
“BeamO is a transformative multiscope device. Once, body temperature was the only health scan routinely taken at home,” said Eric Carreel, president of Withings, in a statement. “BeamO will revolutionize the measurement of the core vitals carried out during medical visits from the comfort of one’s own home.”
He added, “This crucial data will provide a vital overview of overall health or warning signs of potential areas of concern. Instead of measuring these stats a couple of times a year in a clinical setting, it will be possible to assess them every day. BeamO will be the thermometer of the future, providing the ability to assess temperature and observe the state of the heart and lungs.”
And he said, “Post-pandemic telemedicine is commonplace. While convenient and cost-effective, remote visits lacked the ability for health professionals to carry out the routine checks they perform in person. BeamO will make this possible remotely with a device that combines the functionality of four different pieces of medical equipment.”
Health scan powered by multiscope analysis
BeamO is packed with sensors that beam light waves to interpret blood flow patterns and temperature, as well as acoustic information. It performs multiple functions in one handheld device.
Photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrodes along its sides allow BeamO to perform blood oxygenation (SpO2) and heart rate readings simultaneously while also conducting a medical-grade 1-lead ECG. A simple light grip of BeamO initiates measurements that can be viewed by users in real-time on its animated colored LED display.
BeamO conducts accurate and stable core body temperature readings with a noninvasive scan of the temporal artery. An advancement on the Withings Thermo sensor technology, the second-generation hotspot sensor is a mono-element thermophile that narrows the focal area of the infrared beam for contactless measurements. This increases the sensitivity of the scan, making it more robust to changes in distance from the skin or movement.
A cutting-edge digital stethoscope, BeamO captures chest or back acoustic sound waves through a Piezoelectric disc. With intuitive tutorials, users achieve precise heart and lung measurements. Equipped with a USB-C to jack adapter, results can be heard through headphones and seamlessly transferred, stored, and shared in the app. During telehealth sessions, audio streaming enables physicians to guide device placement and focus on specific areas of interest.
With these capabilities, BeamO will conduct a 4-in-1 health checkup of body temperature, heart, and lung health in under a minute.
It will be able to alert users to possible fever and infection and will detect possible cardiovascular issues, including atrial fibrillation (AfiB) (following FDA clearance), which is one of the most prevalent forms of arrhythmias, and provides alerts in case heart rates are abnormal .
A complete health record, secured
By automatically syncing with the Withings app through Wi-Fi, BeamO creates comprehensive health records over time. To better track individual and family health journeys, Withings also introduces new capabilities within the Withings App for BeamO and its entire family of connected health products.
It makes it even easier to track health stats over time that can be recorded and shared. With the Withings app, users can view their full history of health readings along with interpretations of their meanings and actionable advice. Family medical health history can also be uploaded and, where necessary, shared with physicians and other family members. It also allows multiple family members to create individual profiles to use and share Withings devices.
In addition, for the first time, the Withings App allows users to upload details of any medications they are taking, set alerts and reminders to administer at the appropriate times, and log usage and side effects that can be shared with doctors to manage dosage and effectiveness.
Availability
A CES Innovations Award Honoree, BeamO will be demoed during CES at the Withings Booth (LVCC NH #8637). BeamO will retail at $250 in June 2024, following FDA clearance of its ECG capability. Withings was founded in 2009.
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