The most interesting feature of Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) new Pixel Watch 3 is one you’ll probably never need to use. The company’s third-generation smartwatch, starting at $399, brings a host of improvements, including a new 45mm size in addition to the existing 41mm size, and improved fitness tracking capabilities.
But the standout addition to the Watch 3 is its pulse loss detection feature.
According to Sandeep Waraich, senior director of product management for Pixel Wearables at Google, Loss of Pulse Detection can detect when your pulse stops as a result of a number of factors, including cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose or poisoning.
Smartwatch makers including Google, Apple (AAPL) and Samsung have for years been equipping their devices with numerous sensors to track users’ health and, more recently, to automatically contact emergency services if they detect a fall or car accident.
But unlike fall and collision detection, which is relatively easy to test, Google couldn’t ask Watch 3 testers to stop their pulse — at least, not accurately.
The Pixel Watch 3 uses a heart rate sensor on the back to determine if you’ve missed a pulse. (Image: Google) (Google)
Google research scientist Dr. Jake Sunshine said the company successfully tested pulse-loss detection by asking patients undergoing a procedure to temporarily stop their hearts if they wanted to wear the Watch 3 during the procedure.
As well as collecting data from patients, Sunshine said Google used a special tourniquet to simulate the loss of a pulse on the examiner’s wrist.
According to Google, more than 50% of people who experience a pulseless attack do so without anyone nearby, making survival virtually impossible.
To combat this, the Pulse Loss Detection feature will detect loss of pulse and force the Pixel Watch 3 to automatically contact emergency services if it doesn’t sense any intentional movement.
Google says the pulse loss detection feature is available in some European countries and that it’s working to bring it to other regions, possibly including the U.S. Sunshine says that Google has already started working with emergency services officials to prepare for a surge in calls from Watch 3 users.
Regardless of which brand consumers choose, features like pulse loss detection are a welcome addition to device manufacturers’ expanding health and safety tracking capabilities — and, with any luck, they won’t have to test it themselves.
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Contact Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter. Daniel Howley.
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