New smart ring promises to track your blood pressure no cuff required

If you’re looking to track your blood pressure on your own, nowadays you’re spoiled for choice.There are wearable watches and rings from brands like Apple and Oura, plus traditional inflatable cuffs that can be used at home.But a new competitor is now entering the fray, claiming to do something nobody else has done yet.

Signal has launched a ring to measure blood pressure without ever using a traditional cuff to calibrate the device.And it doesn’t require a membership — a tempting perk when Oura, the leader in smart rings, asks for a monthly or annual fee from users to fully access their health metrics.Why is it a big deal to go cuffless, and will the new $399 ring be accurate?Staying on top of blood pressure is important.That’s because when it stays high — something nearly half of Americans deal with — it can be a “silent killer.”Over time, high blood pressure can damage vessels and strain the heart, leading to heart attacks, stroke, or kidney failure.Tracking can help identify a problem early.

And if you’re already diagnosed with high blood pressure, aka hypertension, it can help you stay on top of it by making sure meds and lifestyle changes are making a difference.Unfortunately, it’s a hard measurement to get.Even at the doctor’s office, experts estimate 20-45% of cases are improperly diagnosed because of bad blood pressure measurements.Everything from when you last ate to whether you smoked or had coffee that day, if your legs are crossed, or if a cuff is too small or large, can cause an inaccurate blood pressure reading.And these are using the optimal machinery — upper-arm inflatable cuffs you’re familiar with at the doctor’s office.

These inflate to detect subtle vibrations in the artery, converting measurements of those vibrations into an estimate of blood pressure.Wearables offer a very convenient alternative that doesn’t require the bulky machinery.It also has the advantage of constantly taking readings, which is importa...