Withings, which developed the WiFi-connected weight scales WiScale, has announced two new products: a blood pressure monitor and a baby monitor that both connect to Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Each device will feed collected data into their own respective apps. The Withings Blood Pressure Monitor helps users test, track, graph and share their blood pressure information with family, friends and physicians. The device will begin shipping at the end of January, but the company plans to demo it at the big CES 2011 event in Las Vegas this week. (We'll be there, too.)
No, that's not déjà vu: This is the second blood pressure monitor for the iPhone announced this week -- iHealth unveiled a very similar device yesterday.
Withings has also developed a baby monitor that connects to Apple iOS devices. The Withings Smart Baby Monitor is a video baby phone that enables users to watch a live video of their baby right on their iPhone. Withings claims the device can even alert users when their baby wakes up thanks to a sound a motion detector. The device also tracks how well the baby sleeps and will graph the information so parents can analyze the child's sleep patterns. Other features: The baby monitor includes infrared LED so users can watch the baby at night via night vision; the device has a sensor that tracks temperature and humidity in the baby's room; the device also plays music that users can stream to it. Withings expects the monitor to ship in March.
In a blog post last April, Dr. John Halamka, Chair of the US Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and Co-Chair of the HIT Standards Committee lauded the Withings WiScale as a great example of the future of connected and interoperable consumer health care. Since then Withings has taken its interoperability efforts to the next level: In November Withings teamed up with Digifit and Zeo to form a “health triad” partnership that created an online dashboard for users that includes data from personal wellness devices like Withings’ connected weight scale, Zeo’s sleep monitoring device and Digifit Connect accessory wireless transceiver, which communicates with more than 80 different fitness sensors.
Given Withings' new forays, it's likely the blood pressure monitor data will find its way into the "health triad." Weight, blood pressure, sleep health, fitness indicators -- mark these words: Consumer health is coming together.
More on the new Withings device at the company's blog