Engadget Logo Japanese version Withings announces "Body Scan", a smart body composition meter that measures electrocardiogram and nerve activity

Withings of France, which develops and sells WiFi body composition analyzers and smart watches with ECG functions, has announced the latest smart body composition analyzer "Body Scan".

Although this body composition analyzer looks similar to previous Withings products, it has four weight sensors on the reinforced glass plate, 14 indium oxide electrodes, and four stainless steel electrodes on the handheld handlebar. In combination, it is possible to measure body composition values ​​such as body fat percentage, body water percentage, visceral fat level, muscle mass, and bone mass of each part of the body (arms, torso, legs) from the heartbeat. This may not be much different from other body composition analyzers such as Tanita, but Withings is "a number that can be used as data for health professionals and sports medicine, such as local fat or muscle imbalances. You can see "and explains the reliability of the numbers.

Furthermore, in cooperation with France's Impeto Medical, it has high functionality that can measure even slightly specialized values ​​such as nerve activity evaluation. In addition, the built-in liquid crystal display has been expanded to 3.2 inches, and the battery life has increased from 9 months to about 1 year. In addition, the accuracy of weight measurement is twice as high as before.

The combination of handlebars and glass plate electrodes allows a weak electrical signal to pass through the body, allowing for far more accurate measurements than the ECG feature of a smartwatch. Withings CEO Mathieu Letombe says that the accuracy can provide specific data that "can help cardiologists prepare for treatment" in the detection of atrial fibrillation. Measurement data can also be shared with medical personnel from the mobile app.

"Because chronic health problems such as obesity can be associated with decreased neurological function, assessing neural activity is also a useful function for maintaining good health," Letombe said, collected by Body Scan. Aggregating neural activity data could be useful for medical research and patient care.

We also plan to offer a subscription service to users with undecided prices, sharing daily measurement data of individual users to the medical team in real time, getting advice from experts, and personalized health. You will be able to receive a care plan.

Body Scan is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will be launched in Europe and the United States in the latter half of 2022. The price is estimated to be around $ 300 (about 35,000 yen). The price of a WiFi body composition meter is about 20,000 yen at the highest, so Body Scan is quite expensive, but it may be reasonable considering the services provided.

It took more than a year for Withings to get FDA approval for its ECG smartwatch ScanWatch. With that in mind, Body Scan may also be a little late in its release.

Source: Withings