Alphabet's New Wearable Smartwatch Will Be Used For Observational Studies
Alphabet subsidiary Verily released information about a new product it has developed, the Verily Study Watch, designed mainly for clinical researchers.
The new watch, will enable "the scalable collection of rich and complex datasets across clinical and observational studies," according to the Verily blog describing the product.
Key physiological parameters the device reportedly can capture include "electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, electrodermal activity, and inertial movements," targeting "cardiovascular, movement disorders, and other areas."
To facilitate its real world utility, the device was designed with a relatively long battery life (up to one week), the ability to store (and encrypt), compress, and manage large volumes of data, and with firmware that can be easily upgraded and extended, according to Verily.
Study Watch will be used in several observational studies conducted by Verily's partners, including the Personalized Parkinson's Project, a multi-year study to identify patterns in the progression of Parkinson's disease and provide a foundation for more personalized treatments. Also, Study Watch will be used in the forthcoming Baseline study, a longitudinal study exploring transitions between health and disease.