Google Reveals A Health-Tracking Wristband For Researchers and Physicians

Google X has revealed a health-tracking watch band that could be used in various clinical trials and drug tests so that researches and doctors can monitor how their patients are faring, reports Bloomberg.

According to the report, the the device can measure pulse, heart rhythm, and skin temperature:

The experimental device, developed within the company’s Google X research division, can measure pulse, heart rhythm and skin temperature, and also environmental information like light exposure and noise levels. It won’t be marketed as a consumer device, said Andy Conrad, head of the life sciences team at Google.

“Our intended use is for this to become a medical device that’s prescribed to patients or used for clinical trials,” Conrad said in a telephone interview.

Unlike Android Wear or Apple Watch, this wearable to solely intended to be used by researchers and physicians and will not be sold to the public. Google believes that its wristband could eventually be used by healthy folks to help detect any early signs of disease as well as by all patients within 20 to 30 years.

I can’t help but think that Apple has similar ambitions as we’ve seen a dramatic increase in health awareness with the availability of Apple Watch. Google seems to believe the same, though it hasn’t done a great job on the consumer front. Still, it’s great to see two big companies taking this stuff seriously. A few years from now, the idea of not knowing information on your own health may seem ridiculous.