Google just unveiled the Pixel Watch 3 with lots of flashy new features, but one of the quieter ones, its Loss of Pulse Detection, aims to help emergency responses. Here’s how it works.
Thanks to their health-monitoring capabilities, some wearables like smartwatches and smart rings can gather data that reveals if a wearer is in a life-threatening situation. Google is investing more in that potential with a new feature for the newly unveiled Pixel Watch 3, currently set to roll out to users in nine countries next month.
At Made by Google, the company launched an AI-powered Loss of Pulse Detection feature exclusively for the Pixel Watch 3. « Loss of pulse » refers to a health emergency in which a person’s heart suddenly stops beating for long enough to be concerning. It can indicate anything from cardiac arrest or circulatory failure to an overdose or a car accident.
Combining signals from the smartwatch’s existing Heart Rate sensor with AI and motion sensor data, the opt-in feature can detect a change in the wearer’s pulse while limiting false alarms.
