Hyperglycemia risk assessment: A Huawei Watch 4 innovation
Huawei has revealed groundbreaking innovation with the Watch 4 series, featuring the world’s first hyperglycemia risk assessment tool in a commercial smartwatch.
In a world where hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is a common health concern, Huawei is forging ahead with a game-changing solution embedded right at the wrist. The tech titan has just announced a game-changing innovation for its Watch 4 series. The feature marks a significant milestone in wearable and health technology.
Interestingly enough, Watch 4 was officially announced last week. But there was no mention of the blood sugar monitoring. Most likely, the hyperglycaemia risk assessment tool will be launched in China. Availability in other countries may depend on securing the necessary regulatory approvals in the months ahead.
An advancement in blood sugar monitoring
Although not a complete solution, the Huawei innovation is a step forward in blood sugar monitoring. It provides users with a non-invasive way to monitor their blood sugar levels. Unlike traditional methods that require a blood sample, this feature assesses the risk of hyperglycemia using a variety of non-invasive monitoring techniques. This includes heart rate and pulse wave characteristics.
As reported by Huawei Central, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, made the announcement on Weibo. He emphasised that the feature is the result of years of intensive research conducted in collaboration with authoritative medical institutions. Over 100,000 hours of monitoring and 800,000 pieces of blood sugar data were used to develop a hyperglycemia analysis algorithm.
The results of the assessment can be viewed on the watch’s user interface, which will display this as “hyperglycemia risk assessment” along with a label indicating the risk level. However, it should be noted that this feature will not provide a precise numerical measurement of blood sugar levels.
The user interface will also recommend ways to reduce the risk of hyperglycemia, adding to the feature’s uniqueness. These recommendations may include limiting the consumption of sugar, oil, and fat-rich diets.
Huawei emphasises that, despite its advanced features, the Watch 4 is not a medical device. Its data should only be used for reference purposes and not for medical diagnosis or treatment.
What’s more, users who want to use this feature must also take part in a blood sugar health research project initiated by a professional third-party medical institution. Due to ongoing research, the feature’s availability will be limited at first, with user feedback being collected for further advancement of the technology.
Why this is important
The Watch 4 series is the first to introduce this type of feature to the market. But Huawei is not alone in its pursuit. Apple and other tech behemoths are also investigating blood sugar measurement technology.
With hyperglycemia-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease being so common around the world, wearable technologies that make it easy to check blood sugar levels can be a very important part of health management. Huawei’s first-of-its-kind decision to put a blood sugar measurement system in a commercial smartwatch could pave the way for change in how people track and manage their blood sugar levels.
Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and never miss out!
