Vital-signs-monitoring company Binah.ai is looking to turn a smartphone into a blood-pressure-monitoring measuring device through its video-based artificial intelligence technology. 

In addition to smartphones, the tool can be used on tablets and laptops. Users will be able to tap into the system to measure their blood pressure, heart rate, heart-rate variability, oxygen saturation, respiration rate, sympathetic stress, parasympathetic activity and pulse-respiration, according to the company. Measurements take about one minute. The company specifies that the tool is not a medical device, but rather a "self-assessment tool only." 

"The ability to now add video-based blood-pressure-monitoring capabilities, using only the device's camera, to our already robust Health Data Platform, takes us into a new frontier of what is possible for health and wellness," David Maman, CEO and founder of Binah.ai, said in a statement. "It also brings us a step closer to achieving Binah.ai’s mission of allowing basic and universally accessible health and wellness services for everyone, anywhere."

The software development kit (SDK) uses computer-vision technology and signal processing to analyze the video. The company reports that users can perform blood-pressure-monitoring scans without being connected to the internet. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

Hypertension is a common condition in the U.S. In fact, according to the CDC, 47% of U.S. adults have hypertension. The condition can put patients at risk for other health issues, including heart disease and stroke. 

There is also a growing market for blood-pressure-monitoring tools. Fortune Business Insights forecasts that the blood-pressure-monitoring market in the U.S. will reach $43.2 billion by 2028. 

THE LARGER TREND 

In 2020, Binah.ai announced a $13.5 million Series B funding round. At the time, the company said the funds would go toward boosting its sales and marketing efforts. It also hinted that blood-pressure monitoring, hemoglobin and temperature measurements were coming down the pipeline. 

Binah.ai isn’t the only digital health company looking to disrupt the traditional blood-pressure cuff market. In November, Swiss startup Aktiia, landed $17.5 million for its continuous blood-pressure-monitoring wearable system. 

Big tech is also creating blood-pressure measurements. For example, Samsung integrated a blood pressure measurement and ECG into its consumer smartwatches. In 2019, Omron Healthcare signed a deal with PhysIQ to integrate the former's wearable blood-pressure monitor into the remote-monitoring platform pinpoinIQ.