Fitness startup Ultrahuman is launching a smart ring that it claims will give users “ultrahuman strength.” And by ultra-human strength, the company means a fitness tracker that provides insights into your metabolism by tracking sleep and movement. The smart ring can also be used with the company M1 Glucose Monitoring Patch for more in-depth metabolic tracking.
In terms of design and features, the Ultrahuman Ring seems to take a page from the popular Oura ring† It has a PPG heart rate sensor, temperature sensor and motion sensor. (Although Ultrahuman spokesman Bilal Mahmood told) The edge it has no SpO2 sensors.) Like the Oura Ring, there’s no screen and no haptics — meaning you’ll have to look at the Ultrahuman app to see your stats. Ultrahuman’s press release says this was a deliberate choice to reduce notification distractions. As for statistics, it can track sleep stages, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and body temperature.
The ring itself is made of “fighter jet” titanium and features a tungsten carbide coating for extra durability. According to the Ultrahuman site, this should help with weightlifting and other activities that can splash rings (e.g. rowing, pulling up, etc.). As for battery life, it’s estimated to last four to six days on a single charge — which is on par with most fitness trackers and the Oura Ring.
The ring can be used on its own, but the company claims that when paired with the Ultrahuman M1 patch, users can see how their food intake affects recovery and performance. The M1 is a continuous glucose meter. The sensor contains a hollow needle that makes a small incision in your skin so that the patch can monitor your blood sugar levels in real time. The M1 then gives users a “metabolic score” based on their food intake and exercise, so they can see how certain foods can affect a workout or their sleep quality. Adding the smart ring to the mix adds more data points, such as body temperature and heart rate.
“With the Ultrahuman ring and a new set of metabolic biomarkers, you can now understand not only what affects your glucose metabolism, but how to respond to the insights in an efficient way,” said Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, in a statement. “You could calculate how much of your glucose metabolism is affected by the lack of sleep versus the food itself.”
As a standalone device, the Ultrahuman Ring doesn’t seem to be reinventing the wheel. The stats it tracks are the same as the Oura Ring, and the Lumen Metabolism Tracker also tells users how the foods they eat affect their fitness performance. (That said, the Lumen tracker is more of a “carb breath tester” where users breathe into the device to see what type of fuel they’re burning.) However, it’s new to see two wearables from the same company that can work together to provide multiple data points for different aspects of your metabolic health. Most fitness and health trackers are a one-stop shop, where a single device does all the monitoring. To get a more holistic view, you generally need to enable third-party app integrations.
The Ultrahuman Ring will be available for pre-order starting July 7 and is expected to ship in August. The ring is available in multiple sizes and four colors: black, gray, silver and gold. As for the price, Mahmood said: The edge that it will retail for $299 with lifetime access — meaning there won’t be any other recurring charges going forward, even if Ultrahuman adds a subscription. However, there are also promotional prices ranging from $199 to $249 for the first 3,000 orders†
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