Withings Body Scan connected scale measures body composition, nerve activity, and more

Source: Withings

French company Withings recently introduced its most advanced smart scale to date. The new Body Scan can monitor and measure ECG, weight, segmented body composition, and even nerve activity. It's made with high-strength tempered glass similar to the Body Cardio, but it gets extra sensors to help you learn more about what's going on in your body.

It has four weight sensors, 14 Indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes within the platform, and four stainless steel electrodes on the new handle. 

The handle can pass through safe, low-level electrical signals to your entire body, allowing a new 6-lead ECG to detect heart arrhythmias via these electrodes and those on the base of the scale. An embedded algorithm can detect heart patterns associated with atrial fibrillation. 

You can view the results on the scale's 3.2-inch high-resolution LCD colour display or through the Withings Health Mate app. According to the company, you can store the data to show trends and even share with medical professionals right from the app.

Source: Withings

When it comes to measuring your weight, the Body Scan is designed to measure accurately within 0.1 pounds or 50 grams, double the previous model. It also uses multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure whole-body fat and water percentage, muscle and bone mass, extracellular and intracellular water, and visceral fat. It can offer readings for individual body parts, including arms, torso, and legs. Keeping track of this data can alert you of any issues like dangerous localized fat or muscle imbalance. 

And if you cared to assess your nerve activity, Withings Body Scan can do that for you, too. The company partnered with another French company called Impeto Medical to develop the feature. It can track sweat gland activity in the feet (sudomotor function) using a small direct current by the electrodes in the plate. An impaired function would show signs of degeneration of small nerve fibres. But Withings said this issue could be corrected with regular activity and a healthy diet when detected.

Aside from introducing the scale, Withings plans to introduce a subscription service that "allow users to connect with medical specialists for advice and consultation while providing clinical teams with data in real-time." You can also get personalized health plans, videos, and more info on topics like nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress management.

Withings hasn't revealed pricing for the Body Scan and the subscription service. But the scale is expected to cost around US$300 when it arrives in the US and Europe in the second half of 2022 following FDA clearance. It will come with three free months of subscription service.

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