The was a lot of buzz around Ultrahuman launching the metabolism tracking patches last year but it gradually subdued as the cost-utility ratio hasn’t attracted retail customers, also the product seemed more suitable to athletes.
More comfortable wearables turned out to be bands and smartwatches. And the new device in the market is a finger ring that aims to track Heart Rate Variability primarily and sleep quality, and physical activity. These trackers have been popular lately in the west, with Whoop selling bands and Oura promoting smart rings, however, the accuracy of activities like steps seems to be a question with the apple watches delivering better accuracy. Users have claimed that usage of these devices has made them more conscious of their sleep and recovery, which turns out to be the aim of the devices which do not have a direct interface, and utility strictly revolving around health.
Smart rings are new to the Indian market, virtually introduced by Ultrahuman, and aim to ship in April 2023. Recently Fittr introduced its own smart ring, HART, and shipping is expected to begin 4 months from now.
These devices come with a monthly subscription, Oura, for instance, charges 6 Euros monthly to access the software. Indian producers haven’t revealed any official info about the subscription yet but keeping the recurring cost low can attract individuals to take conscious steps toward active health monitoring, and if this eventually improves the health of users, that’s a job well done.