During Made by Google 2024, the tech giant unveiled its next-generation wearable, the Pixel Watch 3, and with it a life-saving feature called Loss of Pulse Detection. This is an optional tool that gives the smartwatch the “ability to detect loss of pulse,” a very scary event where your heart suddenly stops beating.
According to the announcement, the Pixel Watch 3 uses a combination of “sensors, AI, and signal processing algorithms.” The heart rate sensor constantly monitors your pulse via a green light. But let’s say, for example, your heart stops for some reason. “When the feature detects signs of pulselessness,” the wearable performs a multi-step process.
First, infrared and red lights are activated, looking for a pulse signal, however weak, while motion sensors check to see if you are moving. If you do not move, a countdown begins with an alarm. If you still do not respond, a call is made to emergency services and the operator receives a message that you have no pulse and where you are.
Watch on
Google says it worked with cardiologists to develop loss of pulse detection to understand how this event manifests itself in the human body. The algorithm received “hundreds of thousands of hours of real-world user data from a diverse group of people” and was tested so the AI could learn how to detect loss of pulse events. The company also consulted emergency services such as dispatchers and paramedics to get feedback on how best to implement this technology.
Interestingly, Google claims they even hired stunt performers to simulate cases of cardiac arrest. They wore tourniquets to “create pulselessness” and fell in a manner “that mimics a person” whose heart has just stopped beating.
Important details
Loss of heart rate detection will be available when the Pixel Watch 3 launches in September this year, but only in select European countries, including the UK, France, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Google plans to introduce the feature in other regions of the world, such as the US. However, the technology still needs to be “approved or evaluated by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration).” The company is currently working “with regulators” around the world to make the expansion a reality. The tool’s official trailer also contains some important information.
Loss of pulse detection is not intended for people with “pre-existing heart conditions or people who require cardiac monitoring.” It cannot diagnose possible conditions, nor can it detect “every case of loss of pulse.” Finally, contacting emergency services is entirely dependent on “call functionality and cellular connectivity.”
To find out all about the latest event, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of seven things we saw at Made by Google.
