Fitbit Patent Reveals It Could Be Working On A Health Monitoring Ring

Fitbit appears to be considering a new form for its health monitoring wearables based on a new patent registration filed last month.

The Google-owned wearable-maker shared insights into a “ring for optically measuring biometric data” such as blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), pulse, blood pressure, glucose levels and more.

The filing focused on the SpO2 measurement features of the smart ring because the finger is the most common place to collect this data in clinical settings, according to Sensors. This measurement is taken by shining a light through the finger skin and blood vessels to a photodetector on the other side.

A smart ring that can measure SpO2 would be superior to other methods, because clinical devices found in hospitals are often tethered and aren’t suitable for everyday use, and because consumer smartwatches with this capability can be unreliable and have a limited battery life, according to the patent filing.

Fitbit’s patent registration says its ring can be worn comfortably throughout daily activities to accurately measure biometric data with an extended battery life of “a few days to a number of weeks depending on use.”