A professor of medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Sanjiv M. Narayan is also the co-founder and co-director of the school’s Arrhythmia Center, which works to develop innovative bioengineered arrhythmia medicine. Outside of his professional life, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan maintains a personal interest in wearable technology like Fitbit.
Fitbit, maker of the fitness tracker of the same name, is currently working on a new device that will help track and recognize sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, a disorder that inhibits proper breathing during sleep, affects 18 million Americans.
The technology, which Fitbit hopes to have finished by 2018, uses a small light to shine through the wearer’s skin to detect the precise color of the blood, which indicates how well-oxygenated it is. For those undiagnosed with sleep apnea, the technology can help determine if they have the disorder, and if or when they should consult a doctor. For those who have already been diagnosed, the wearable can help evaluate the effectiveness of apnea treatment.
Fitbit, already testing prototypes in sleep labs, hopes to enter the medical technology sector to compete with their biggest wearable tech rival, Apple. Provided the medical community accepts the new technology, Fitbit will still have to get approval from the FDA and similar regulatory agencies in other countries.
