Withings BeamO — taking home health data tracking to a clinical level

Withings is back with another advanced health device, this time an ECG, pulse oximeter, stethoscope and thermometer in one, the BeamO. The BeamO is the first of its kind, delivering medical data in a 4-in-1 device that comfortably fits into your pocket.

The tiny device supports up to eight users, allowing you to record medical data for your entire family (assuming your family is less than eight) onto the device for later review by a medical professional. The device is incredibly easy to use, with a comprehensive check-up possible in under 60 seconds, at home or on the go.

The tool is incredibly handy for those with health problems who often see their doctor via telehealth, or those who have intermittent issues and want to record the symptoms and data from these when they occur (such as atrial fibrillation).

The BeamO from Withings is capable of collecting clinical-grade vital signs such as:

• Temperature readings with a contactless infrared thermometer to detect fever episodes
• Heart rate monitoring and atrial fibrillation detection with a 1-lead ECG
• Blood oxygen levels can be measured with a pulse oximeter to detect hypoxia episodes
• Heart and lung sounds with a digital stethoscope.

This data enables the virtual medical checkup to be nearly equivalent to a true in-person medical checkup. Data can be shared in real-time with a medical professional or via a PDF report at a later date.

I’ve had a chance to check out the BeamO for the last few days and it could well be a game changer for a lot of people. It allows you to take an ECG, “listen” to your heart (where your medical professional to listen to later), hear your lung sounds, take your temperature, measure your blood oxygen levels and more.

To do all this, you just need to know which sensor to use on BeamO — and the app will tell you. Simply connect your phone to BeamO using the instructions in the app, choose the user on the device and then scroll to the measurement you want to take. After this selection, the device will display a diagram indicating which sensor to use and how to use it to take the measurement.

Once your measurement is taken, the data is fed back to the app where it is stored. A Withings+ subscription is only needed if you wish to have the app provide insights into your data and offer guidance on how to improve it. If you plan to liaise with your medical professional using the data, the subscription is probably not required.

I was able to obtain all measurements with ease, with BeamO successful on all attempts with the data seemingly unerringly accurate and consistent. There is no doubt that this could make many people’s lives easier. It takes home health data tracking to a clinical level.

To celebrate the release of the BeamO, Withings is offering a 3-month complimentary Withings+ subscription with every BeamO purchase. The new BeamO from Withings is available from today at Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi and Amazon for $499 AUD.