People love smart appliances like phones and watches for their convenience and aesthetics, but there could be another reason why these devices are becoming even more popular.
Apple’s new watch, the Apple Watch 4, will now feature an Electrocardiogram (EKG) heart monitor in hopes of saving the lives of its users.
According to Bloomberg, the Apple Watch already has a built-in heart rate monitor, but the EKG can help detect arrhythmia and stroke risks.
EKGs are very common in hospitals and ambulances across the country, but they can only monster a heart’s activity for a short period of time. Apple is trying to extend the length of monitoring coverage for its wearable devices.
“I can see a role for wearable ECGs as a mechanism to diagnose arrhythmia as an adjunct to what is currently available,” said Ethan Weiss, a cardiologist at the University of California.
Tech Shout adds that an Apple Watch already managed to save a person’s life. Twenty-eight-year-old James Green’s heart rate was much too high and his Heart Watch app alerted him. Green went to get checked by a medical professional and a CT scan revealed that he had a blood clot in his lungs and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Another popular feature of smart watches is their water resistance rate. It’s important to note, however, that water resistance is the rate at which a watch can withstand any exposure to water, and it’s erroneous (and illegal) to state a watch is waterproof because no watch is 100% waterproof. Apple’s new Apple Watch 4 can withstand water up to three feet deep.
The tech industry has increased its focus on the health sector in recent months. It’s projected that by the year 2025, the U.S. health spending will increase to $5.5 trillion because of giant tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon.
“There’s tremendous potential to do on-device computing, to do cloud computing as well and to take that learning, and through machine learning, deep learning and ultimately artificial intelligence, to change the way health care is delivered,” added Jeff Williams, COO of Apple. “We can’t think of anything more significant than this.”
