At CES this week Withings, which has recently focused on fitness its Activite watch series — unveiled a new medical device, Withings Thermo, a WiFi connected thermometer.
Rather than being inserted in the mouth or armpit, Thermo measures temperature from the temporal artery on the die of the head. The user simply hold the thermometer next to their head or a child’s head and an array of 16 independent infrared sensors measure the heat being emitted.
“With just a point in the direction of the artery, without requiring any motion or scanning, the sensors take 4,000 measurements in two seconds while a specially-designed algorithm automatically corrects for biases, such as skin heat loss and the ambient temperature,” the company explained in a statement. “The hottest point is then determined to ensure the most accurate and reliable single temperature reading.”
Readings appear on the side of the device but are also automatically sent to a connected app, where users can assign them to a particular user and add any other notes.
The device works with two AAA batteries, can be calibrated to celsius or fahrenheit, and lights up with a color-coded LED based on whether temperature is normal or elevated. WIthings has filed for FDA clearance and CE Mark clearance for the device.
The company plans to launch the device this quarter and sell it for $99.95. The connected app will be available for both Apple and Android phones.
One of the early entrants in the connected medical device space, Withings now boasts an extensive line that includes scales, pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, baby monitors, and the Withings Aura sleep system, as well as the Activite line of activity trackers.