Aside from its brief fling with Nokia, Withings has quietly established itself as a powerhouse in the home health space in recent years. The French company may not have the big name of Apple or Samsung, but it makes some expertly designed devices designed to make vital readings more accessible outside of the doctor’s office.
While the name suggests a 1980s toy manufacturer, BeamO seems to be one of the company’s more compelling healthcare offerings. It’s not a fitness watch or sleep trackpad, but rather a new category for Withings. The “multoscope,” as the company billed it, was designed to give patients easy access to vitals during phone health calls.
From this perspective, the product makes a lot of sense. According to the US government, telehealth visits (understandable) rose 15x during the pandemic. While this number has undoubtedly declined somewhat as the world reopens, the relative ease and timeliness of indoor visiting for non-emergency situations cannot be debated.
“Smaller than a smartphone,” according to Withings’ description, the system offers four key health metrics. It’s a type of supercharged digital thermometer that also doubles as an EKG, oximeter, and stethoscope, giving your healthcare provider more insight into what’s going on with you in real time.
“Post-pandemic telemedicine is popular,” notes CEO Eric Carrel. “Although remote visits are convenient and cost-effective, they lack the ability for health professionals to perform the routine checks they do in person. BeamO will make this possible remotely using a device that combines the functions of four different pieces of medical equipment.
The system is able to read SpO2, heart rate, and ECG (“medical grade,” Withings says) simultaneously, and display the relevant information on its screen. Headphones can be connected to the system using a USB-C to audio jack adapter. This audio can also be sent to a healthcare provider via the app.
The system is still awaiting FDA approval for things like AFib detection. Withings expects it to hit shelves in July for $250.