Here’s How The Ultrahuman Ring Captures and Measures Body Signals

If someone had told me years ago that tech would move from a bulky computer to a ring, I would’ve laughed in your face. Even today, I marvel at the ability of smart ring companies such as Ultrahuman, to bring out how our body works in data form right from a tiny ring on our fingers. But how?

The Ultrahuman ring uses three tiny sensors carefully positioned in the ring in order to capture signals from the body and give us tangible data to understand our health better.

Ultrahuman Ring’s Sensors	Ultrahuman Ring’s LEDs
Temperature sensor	Red LEDs (heart rate monitoring and oxygen saturation)
PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor	Green LEDs (heart rate monitoring)
Motion-sensing IMU (inertial measuring unit)	Infrared LEDs (heart rate monitoring)

Ultrahuman Ring Sensors

Temperature Sensor

This medical-grade skin temperature sensor nestled in the Ultrahuman ring continuously measures my skin temperature and my body’s physiological state in response to various external factors like workouts, illness, menstrual phase, and stress.

These recordings create a baseline temperature for the body after a certain amount of time, and the variations from the baseline are then studied by Ultrhuman’s algorithm to suggest the onset of an illness or menstrual phases.

PPG (Photoplethysmography) Sensor

PPG sensors emit LEDs in order to measure various parameters. These are:

• Red LEDs 
• Green LEDs
• Infrared LEDs.

The PPG sensor employs a red LED to measure heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. The green and infrared LEDs monitor heart rate parameters such as HR, RHR, HRV, etc. The RHR is monitored by detecting changes in the blood pulse volume through the infrared LED.

Motion Sensor (IMU) Unit

As the name suggests, the motion sensor tracks my movement patterns. Also known as the 6-axis motion sensor, this is the one that tracks my steps, distance, and intensity of my workouts.

This is also the sensor that tracks movement during sleep which in turn helps it determine the sleep stages I’m in such as light, deep, and REM, providing the data about the quality of sleep I’ve had through the night.

Ultrahuman Ring Algorithms

The sensors are used to gather the data from the impulses received through the finger the ring is on, but how this data is interpreted into various metrics is done by Ultrahuman’s algorithm.

This Ultrahuman algorithm then converts the data collected into various charts, graphs, and numbers in order to provide actionable insights in an easy-to-understand format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up

While the sensors are equipped to measure various metrics with utmost precision, certain external factors, such as a misplaced sensor position on your finger, cold hands, or a loose fit ring, may alter the data gathered.

Make sure to wear the ring on the index, middle, or ring finger with the sensors facing the palm of the hand for the most accuracy. Ensuring the perfect fit is also necessary.