New Withings scale wants to monitor your heart health
Withings, one of the pioneers in the connected scales market, has today announced the availability of its next generation smart scale. The Body Cardio, as it is called, wants to help you keep track of not only your weight and body composition, but also your overall fitness and heart health.
Withing’s fourth generation device includes all the features of the predecessor scales. So it will track your weight, body fat and BMI. In addition to this, the scale will now also monitor your water percentage, muscle mass and bone mass.
Essential reading: A roundup of the best smart scales on the market
What really sets the scale apart though are its heart monitoring functions. The Body Cardio tracks your standing heart rate and an exclusive new measurement – your Pulse Wave Velocity.
So what exactly is this all important Pulse Wave Velocity?
With every beat the heart generates a wave that propagates along the arteries. The propagation speed of this wave is directly linked to the health of your arteries. Faster speeds indicate stiffer arteries, which increase the risk of developing hypertension or cardiovascular disease. Each weigh-in will provide a pulse wave velocity reading and assessment within the Health Mate app. Taking age into account, the app will then inform as to whether it is optimal or not, and provide tips to improve it.
“If we could have just one measurement for cardiovascular health, it would be pulse wave velocity. Alone it tells us more than all the other indicators combined…” said Pr. Pierre Boutouyrie, Cardiologist, Pharmacologist at Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Paris.
We are entering a new medical era, because this parameter that was previously restricted to laboratories is now accessible to the general public, who will be able to use such information to improve heart health.”
In terms of design, at only 0.7 inches with a solid aluminum base, Body Cardio has no feet to adjust, making it the thinnest, most stable scale available. Withings says that Body Cardio works equally well on any surface, from a hard floor to a thick carpet.
Some more obsecure features for a connected scale include a daily weather forecast. And, if you use a Withings activity tracker or the app’s built-in tracker, the scale can display the previous day’s steps to help you see how your efforts are panning out. Withings has thankfully agreed with the rest of us, and dropped the CO2 measurements provided by its previous generation scale.
Rather conveniently, there is no need to purchase batteries. Body Cardio lasts up to 12 months before needing to be recharged via the micro-USB cable. You can pick up the scale from today at Withings.com or Amazon.
There’s also a more entry-level option. The $130 Body scale offers similar functionality but lacks Pulse Wave Velocity tracking (Amazon).
Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and never miss out!
