With 12.1 million people having Atrial Fibrillation alone in the US, one can only imagine how many people suffer from this cardiovascular condition and how many will in the coming years. Smart tech has made detecting and living with these conditions a little easier.
Smartwatches like the Apple Watch and Samsung Watch already have FDA-approved AFib detection technology, and now the same has come to Smart Rings.
Ultrahuman is the first smart ring ever to launch the AFib detection feature recently in July 2024. So yes, Smart Rings can definitely detect AFib. The PPG sensors, used to monitor HR via blood flow changes, also work overnight to detect any alarming signals.
How Can Smart Rings Detect AFib?
Smart rings usually have a PPG sensor for tracking your HR, which in turn helps measure HRV and SpO2 readings. The companion app does the real work here.
Tracking metrics with the ring isn’t rocket science here, but how well the app takes the data and uses it to find unique insights is what makes the smart ring stand out.
For detecting AFib, a smart ring needs heart rhythm (derived from PPG) when your body is resting or not moving. It will then analyze the data with algorithms trained particularly for detecting heart rhythm abnormalities and irregularities.
Ultrahuman does it by tracking heart rhythm overnight when you are sleeping. It detects AFib with FibriCheck’s technology, which is FDA-approved and even approved by EU medical device regulators.
I have tried the FibriCheck app just to find out what it shows on its own. (I am sharing my report below.)
The app asked me to put my finger on the camera while it flashed light on my finger for 60 seconds. I had to be extremely still because even the smallest movement was hindering the scan and starting it all over again.
So it makes sense why Ultrahuman wants to detect AFib on the basis of night’s data. We are most still when asleep.
Also, what made me excited about Ultrahuman’s feature was that if FibriCheck could show me a graph of my heartbeat of 60 seconds and let me know if it was regular or not, then Ultrahuman would definitely do more than that. As it is tracking HR for the whole night, a lot of data definitely means better results.
I am still waiting for the feature to arrive in the app, as it is only approved in certain countries, i.e., the UK, KSA, EU, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Moreover, AFib is going to be a paid “PowerPlug” in the Ultrahuman app for $4.90.
Is AFib Detected by Smart Rings Any Accurate?
The accuracy of any feature from a certain wearable companion app depends upon multiple factors, including-
- Efficiency of the sensors
- Fit of the smart ring
- Movement of the body at the time of tracking
- How well the app and its algorithm processes and comprehends the data
Ideally, if all of the above criteria are met and the app nails its algorithm to get the right signals from heart rhythm irregularities, then AFib detection can definitely be accurate. Since Ultrahuman’s AFib detection PowerPlug isn’t out yet, I haven’t tried it yet.
However, readings derived from nighttime data tracking have mostly been accurate in my experience; I can definitely expect Ultrahuman’s AFib detection to be helpful to people who have this condition or people who are asymptomatic yet.
Mohit Kumar, CEO and founder of Ultrahuman told TechCrunch that the base detection algorithm runs with a sensitivity and specificity of 91.86% and 97.59%, respectively. Here, Sensitivity refers to the ability to detect AFib in people who actually have AFib (true positives), and Specificity refers to the ability to correctly identify people who don’t have AFib (true negatives).
This is a good start in the smart ring market and definitely adds bonus points to Ultrahuman, which might even lead it higher in the race for the best smart rings.
Wrapping Up
I think the smart ring world isn’t going to stop on AFib. There are many more conditions that can be avoided or treated better with basic vital tracking, and we are just beginning to unlock that potential via smart rings. Good for Ultrahuman for taking the reigns and actually providing an FDA-approved feature for AFib detection.
