The Google watch that can save your life: how it detects cardiac arrest and alerts the emergency services
Google reveals the big secret of the Pixel Watch 3’s revolutionary feature: its heartbeat detector that allows emergency services to be alerted in case of cardiorespiratory arrest.
Although Google’s Pixel Watch 3 was launched last September, the tech giant has waited until now to detail in depth one of the most useful and revolutionary functions of this smartwatch that can save thousands of lives: its heartbeat detector. This system detects if our heart stops beating, automatically alerting emergency services, which reduces response time while increasing our chances of surviving a cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest.
Google’s Pixel Watch 3 can save your life thanks to its heartbeat detector
The Google Pixel Watch 3 hit the market in September 2024 with several improvements over its predecessor, but one of its most novel and relevant features is its Loss of Pulse Detection system. This technology is capable of detecting if the user suffers a cardiac arrest and, if the absence of pulse is confirmed, it can automatically alert emergency services and people nearby. It is a tool that seeks to solve a serious public health problem not only in the United States, but worldwide: the numerous episodes of cardiorespiratory arrest far from or outside a hospital, which often go unnoticed, drastically reducing the chances of survival. Through a blog post, the technology company has revealed the ins and outs of how it works.
Google’s watch employs a combination of advanced sensors and algorithms that make it possible to detect, with high accuracy, whether a wearer has a blood pulse. To do this, the smartwatch uses a photoplethysmography (PPG) system, which measures changes in blood volume using LED lights, along with data obtained from the accelerometer. These sensors work together to detect the transition from a pulsatile state - with a pulse - to one without a pulse. Google also disclosed that it developed this system in collaboration with cardiac electrophysiology specialists and patients undergoing tests with implanted defibrillators, ensuring maximum accuracy in real cases.
Since a false alarm could collapse emergency services unnecessarily, hindering medical assistance in real emergencies, Google has implemented multiple safeguards to prevent false positives. Before issuing an alert, the watch performs several checks: data from the PPG sensor is analyzed, a machine learning algorithm is run to detect changes in heart rate, and additional measurements are made with LED sensors and photodiodes. In this way, the system is not triggered if we simply take off the watch or if the sensor loses contact with the skin because we have not adjusted the strap properly. In addition, Google claims that this feature is optimized so that it does not significantly affect the device’s battery, taking advantage of the use of sensors that are already in operation rather than maintaining constant monitoring.
These types of gadgets demonstrate how smart devices can be much more than mere technological curiosities; in cases like this, they can become essential tools for our health and well-being. While a smartwatch is no substitute for professional medical care as such, its ability to detect these extreme cases and act accordingly by alerting emergency services for the shortest possible response time can make the difference between life and death. Advances in this field bring us ever closer to a future where technology not only keeps us connected to our friends, family and other loved ones, but also has the potential to take care of us when we need it most.
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