This smart ring aims to 'hack' your metabolism

Fitness startup Ultrahuman is launching a smart ring that it claims will give users "supernatural power." And by superhuman strength, the company means a fitness tracker that provides insight into your metabolism by monitoring sleep and movement. The smart ring can also be used with the company's M1 glucose monitoring patch for more in-depth metabolic tracking.

In terms of design and features, the Ultrahuman Ring is taking a page from the popular Aura Ring. It has PPG heart rate sensor, temperature sensor and motion sensor. (Though Ultrahuman spokesman Bilal Mahmood told The Verge that it won't have SpO2 sensors.) Like the Aura Ring, there's no screen and no haptics—meaning you'll have to check out the Ultrahuman app to see your metrics. Ultrahuman's press release said that cutting back on distractions from the information was a deliberate choice. As for metrics, it can track sleep stages, heart rate, heart rate variation (HRV), and body temperature.

The ring itself is made from "fighter jet" titanium and has a tungsten carbide coating for added durability. According to the Ultrahuman site, this should help with weightlifting and other activities that can push the rings (for example, rowing, pull-ups, etc.). As for battery life, it's an estimated four to six days on a single charge—which is on par with most fitness trackers and the Aura Ring.

The ring can be used on its own, but the company claims that if paired with the Ultrahuman M1 patch, users can see how their food intake affects recovery and performance. The M1 is a continuous glucose monitor. The sensor consists of a hollow needle that makes a small incision in your skin so that the patch can track your blood sugar level in real time. M1 then gives users a "metabolic score" based on their food intake and level of exercise so they can see how certain foods might affect workouts or the quality of their sleep. Adding smart rings to the mix adds more data points like body temperature and heart rate.

Mohit Kumar, Founder and CEO, Ultrahuman, said in a statement, “With the Ultrahuman Ring and a new suite of metabolic biomarkers, you can now not only understand what is affecting your glucose metabolism but also get insights in an efficient way. Can also get. But how to act." "You can find out how much more your glucose metabolism is affected by sleep deprivation than by food."

As a standalone device, the Ultrahuman Ring doesn't reinvent the wheel. The metrics it tracks are similar to those of the Aura Ring, and the Lumen Metabolism Tracker also tells users how the food they eat affects their fitness performance. (That said, the Lumen Tracker is a "carb breath" where users breathe into the device to see what kind of fuel they're burning.) However, it takes two wearable devices from the same company to see it. Huh. There are novels 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 picture, you usually need to enable third-party app integration.

The Ultrahuman Ring will be available for pre-order starting July 7th and is expected to ship in August. The ring comes in several sizes and four colors – black, grey, silver and gold. As for the price, Mahmoud told The Verge that it will retail for $299 with lifetime access — meaning there won't be any other recurring fees in the future, even if Ultrahuman adds a subscription plan. However, there is also a promotional pricing of $199 to $249 for the first 3,000 orders.