Google has designed a smart watch which is a lot different from your run of the mill one. The Study Watch has been designed by Verily with a detailed medical research in mind. The device stands out from the criterion of any regular hardware as it doesn’t run Android Wear or takes care of your notifications. Instead, it is focused on serious medical studies like MS observation and contact lenses which monitor the glucose level of wearer.
The Study Watch will probably be entrusted with some important researches, like gathering vital signs for on-going works like the Personalized Parkinson’s Project, which looks into the progression of the disease and then looks for its cure.
This wearable will also be incorporated in Baseline, a previously announced study which started in 2014, and was designed to track the long-term vitals of 175 individuals for the sake of building “the fullest picture of what a healthy human being should be.”
Google was widely criticized for labeling this project as “moonlight,” a term mostly reserved for projects like autonomous cars and internet-delivering weather balloons. Though, this undertaking doesn’t have such glamour, it goes with Verily’s idea, which is to “collect and organize health data, then creating interventions and platforms that put insights derived from that health data to use for more holistic care management.”
The aim of the device is to make the process of collecting body data more efficient as compared to other data collection processes. Plus, the wearable is good looking and will compliment your fashion as well. The smartwatch also comes with a heavy-lifting process designed for real-time algorithmic computations. It is also equipped with advanced sensors which collect the heart rate data in ways more efficient than any other monitoring smartwatch.
In a post unveiling the device, Verily said:
Multiple physiological and environmental sensors are designed to measure relevant signals for studies spanning cardiovascular, movement disorders, and other areas. Examples include electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, electrodermal activity, and inertial movements.
The battery life is commendable as the watch is designed to be worn for long stretches. Verily says the device can sustain its life for a week because of its, what we say, e-ink-style always-on display. The on-board memory is also a lot, therefore, you will not be required to sync the device too often.
Here are some of the specifics of the device:
- Multiple physiological and environmental sensors are designed to measure relevant signals for studies spanning cardiovascular, movement disorders, and other areas. Examples include electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, electrodermal activity, and inertial movements.
- A long battery life of up to one week.
- Large internal storage and data compression allow the device to store weeks’ worth of raw data.
- A powerful processor supports real time algorithms on the device.
- The firmware is designed to be robust for future extensions, such as over-the-air updates, new algorithms, and user interface upgrades.
- The display is always on so that time is always shown.
- The display is low power and high resolution for an appealing look and a robust user interface.
- Currently, only time and certain instructions are displayed. No other information is provided back to the user.
