Is Fitbit working on a smart ring?
Fitbit has filed an application with the U.S. Patent Office to protect an idea for a piece of smart jewellery. The ring is supposed to measure and communicate the wearer’s biometric data. The patent application suggests that the measuring method used could be more precise than in a smartwatch.
US American fitness tracker company Fitbit has filed a patent application for a smart ring. The respective document was revealed by TechRadar. Although the application was already filed in mid-December, the U.S. Patent Office didn’t publish it until June.
Fitbit, which was bought out by Google back in 2019, wants to protect its idea of a «ring for optically measuring biometric data». The ring-shaped wearable gadget is supposed to measure the blood oxygen levels of its wearer by means of a light source and photo detectors. The measured data is transmittable to a smartphone or smartwatch via NFC and Bluetooth.
Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office/Fitbit
Improved measuring method
Based on the gadget’s components described in the patent, TechRadar suspects that the smart ring might work like a pulse oximeter – the heart rate and oxygen measuring device used in hospitals. It’s what medical staff clip to your finger, toe or earlobe so it can send light through the respective part of your body. The oxygen content of the blood is then determined on the basis of the proportion of light that reaches the other side.
Should the smart ring indeed rely on this measuring method, this would make it more precise than those found in today’s smartwatches. That’s because they use a less sophisticated version of it. It only measures reflected light, as the beam emitted by the smartwatch is not strong enough to go through your whole wrist.
Not the first smart ring
The concept behind Fitbit’s pending patent isn’t new. However, there are only a few smart ring players on the market so far. The biggest competitor is probably the Finnish company Oura Health Ltd, which has already been selling smart rings since 2013. The US American company Motiv also sold similar wearables, but has since ceased operations.
And then there’s another aspect to remember. Apart from measuring health data, smart rings are also used for payment. For example, Ringpay by McLear.
However, it remains to be seen if and when Fitbit will bring this smart piece of jewellery to market.
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