Google Pixel Watch 3 Introduces Groundbreaking Loss of Pulse Detection Feature

The Google Pixel Watch 3's Loss of Pulse Detection is a first for smartwatches, and it could be a lifesaver

During Made by Google 2024, the tech giant unveiled its next-gen wearable, the Pixel Watch 3, and with it, a life-saving feature called Loss of Pulse Detection. This is an opt-in tool that gives the smartwatch the "ability to detect loss of pulse," which is a very scary event in which your heart suddenly stops beating. According to the announcement, the Pixel Watch 3 utilizes a combination of "sensors, AI, and signal-processing algorithms." The Heart Rate sensor constantly tabs on your pulse via a green light. But let's say your heart stops for whatever reason, for example. "If the feature detects signs of pulselessness," the wearable enacts a multi-step process. First, infrared and red lights activate, looking for any signs of a pulse, however faint they may be, while the motion sensors check to see if you're moving. If you don't move, a countdown with an alarm begins. If you still don't respond, a call is placed to emergency services alongside a message telling the operator that you have no pulse and where you are located. Google states it worked with cardiologists when developing Loss of Pulse Detection to learn exactly how this event manifests in the human body. Their algorithm was given "hundreds of thousands of hours of real-life user data from a diverse group of people" and tested so the AI could learn how to detect loss of pulse incidents. The company also consulted emergency medical service providers, like dispatchers and paramedics, to receive feedback on the best way to implement this technology. What's interesting is Google claims they even hired stunt actors to simulate instances of loss of pulse. They wore tourniquets to "induce pulselessness" and fell in ways "that would mimic a person" whose heart just stopped. Loss of Pulse Detection will be available on the Pixel Watch 3 at launch later this September but only in select European countries including the UK, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Google plans to explain the feature to other global regions, such as the United States; however, the tech has yet to be "cleared or evaluated by the US FDA" (Food and Drug Administration). Right now, the company is "working with regulatory bodies" around the world to make the expansion a reality. Also, the official trailer for the tool mentions a few pieces of important information. Loss of Pulse Detection is not meant for people with "pre-existing heart conditions or those who require cardiac monitoring." It cannot diagnose any potential medical conditions, nor can it detect "every instance of loss of pulse." Finally, contacting emergency services depends entirely on "call functionality and cellular connectivity." To catch up on everything that went down at the recent event, be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the seven things we saw at Made by Google.

The best new Pixel Watch 3 feature is underrated, overlooked, and can save your life

A new Loss of Pulse Detection feature aims to improve emergency responses. Here's how it works and who it could help. Thanks to their health-monitoring capabilities, some wearables like smartwatches and smart rings can gather data that reveals if a wearer is in a life-threatening situation. Google is investing more in that potential with a new feature for the newly unveiled Pixel Watch 3, currently set to roll out to users in nine countries next month. At Made by Google, the company launched an AI-powered Loss of Pulse Detection feature exclusively for the Pixel Watch 3. "Loss of pulse" refers to a health emergency in which a person's heart suddenly stops beating for long enough to be concerning. It can indicate anything from cardiac arrest or circulatory failure to an overdose or a car accident. Also: Everything announced at Made by Google 2024: Pixel 9 Pro, Fold, Gemini, Watch 3, and more Combining signals from the smartwatch's existing Heart Rate sensor with AI and motion sensor data, the opt-in feature can detect a change in the wearer's pulse while limiting false alarms. If the feature is having trouble detecting your pulse, it will trigger a check-in notification, and if you don't respond, the watch sounds an audible alarm alongside a countdown. If there is still no response, the feature will prompt your device to call emergency support with an automated message explaining the loss of pulse alert and sharing your location. As Google pointed out during the event keynote, safety infrastructure is designed with the assumption that another person will be nearby during an emergency to call for help. Loss of Pulse Detection is designed for instances where people may be alone and in life-threatening scenarios, aiming to expand that infrastructure to potentially connect more users to emergency care when needed. This could be especially impactful for solo hikers, drivers in rural areas, and more. Also: Google Pixel Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 2: Should you upgrade? Google shares that it worked with cardiologists and linked AI with clinical data to develop the feature. The company then used stunt actors wearing tourniquets "to artificially induce pulselessness," the release explains, and test the detection. "Loss of Pulse Detection is part of our broader effort to make Pixel Watch a guardian of your health and safety," Google explained. The feature joins other health-forward capabilities like Fall and Car Crash Detection, Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications, and Safety Checks. Loss of Pulse Detection will be available on Pixel Watch 3 in September across Europe, including in the UK, France, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Google said it is continuing to get regulatory approval to make the feature available elsewhere. Users can opt into the feature here.

Google Intensifies Health Tracking With 'Loss of Pulse Detection'

Expertise Public health, new wellness technology and health hacks that don't cost money Credentials Added coconut oil to cheap coffee before keto made it cool. Google is sharpening its health-feature teeth to catch more than everyday wellness and irregular heartbeats. At the company's Made by Google event on Tuesday, it announced Loss of Pulse Detection, a new feature for Pixel Watch 3 that can sense when the wearer is experiencing a loss of pulse. Having a weakened or lost pulse is potentially a deadly medical emergency that signals the heart isn't beating and pumping blood properly. It's caused by cardiac arrest, poisoning, drug overdose or other events. If Pixel Watch 3 detects a loss of pulse on the person wearing it, Google says you'll be sent an alert with a timer to respond. If you don't respond, an automated voice message will be dispatched to emergency services with your location. "We know that a lot of the time, these events are unwitnessed, so no one is able to help or make a call on someone's behalf," Dr. Jake Sunshine, a research scientist who worked on the new feature, told CNET. "That was the problem we were trying to solve with this feature." The company is careful to say Loss of Pulse Detection wasn't built for one specific event or health condition; the classification and alert that follows is made through machine learning and based on sensors on Pixel Watch 3, including heart rate sensing. But Loss of Pulse Detection is a feature that may catch more rare but very serious health events. And it also touches on broader, public health problems, like rising rates of opioid overdoses, as untreated drug overdose is one type of catalyst for a loss of pulse event. Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist with National Jewish Health, said the new smartwatch feature appears to be targeting "out-of-hospital" cardiac arrest, which is a "major killer" since it requires immediate help. While "the devil is in the details" in terms of how it'll actually work to help people (and it relies on people actually wearing the Pixel Watch 3, of course), anything that gets emergency help to a person with lost or weakened pulse activity could save a life. "Anything that can move the need on these very lethal, high risk issues is amazing," Freeman said. While other wearables, including some Google products and Apple Watch, have fall detection and other safety features, Loss of Pulse Detection on Pixel Watch 3 will be the first of its kind. It'll be available with the launch of Pixel Watch 3 in some European countries including the UK, Austria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Google hasn't provided information yet on when or how the loss of pulse feature would be greenlit by the Food and Drug Administration, which it would need for use in the US. In building Loss of Pulse Detection, Google said it consulted with emergency medical services, dispatchers and other groups that would have insight into how to respond to a loss of pulse event. The company also weighed the absolutely crucial element of time in loss of pulse events against the risk of sending false alerts, according to Florence Thng, Health Product manager at Google. And, she added, it's important to leave room for error. "No feature is perfect," Thng said. "We built this very thoughtfully, but even with AI, we know that Loss of Pulse will not detect every event."

Google Pixel Watch 3 introduces 'Loss of Pulse Detection' feature: What is it and how it will help users - Times of India

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