Smart Watches

[MooneyMitch]

1 hour ago, GeeBee said:

This may sound weird, but in 2010 I stopped wearing a watch as a remembrance. I found I don't miss it. I have not bought another. My phone is more than enough. If I need to do something at a particular time I set an alarm. It is amazing however how accurate your internal clock remains. I am usually am only off by a minute or two. I also found not wearing a watch to be unbelievably liberating. Try it for two weeks!

 

Yes........ liberating....... agree!

One of my first actions upon stopping my day gig was to unplug my bedside alarm clock ( revealing my age... lol) and stow it in the nightstand drawer.

Next liberation was removing my watch, which I’d worn all my  adult life ( well, not the same watch all those years ).

FREEDOM at last !! 

Time travels way too fast...... certainly don’t need a device attached to my body to remind me of that.  

[Boilermonkey]

I bought a “cheap” smart watch that has the ability to monitor O2, BP, HR, and do an EKG.  It was under $50 and is pretty close to what I see at the doctors office or with a finger based O2 monitor.  Search for a V19 Fitness Activity Tracker and Heath Smart Watch on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

[ArtVandelay]

I bought a “cheap” smart watch that has the ability to monitor O2, BP, HR, and do an EKG.  It was under $50 and is pretty close to what I see at the doctors office or with a finger based O2 monitor.  Search for a V19 Fitness Activity Tracker and Heath Smart Watch on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

20% 1 star reviews...complaints included not accurate and breaks easily. Given people are going to use this to monitor their health...that’s really bad.

[EricJ]

6 hours ago, Boilermonkey said:

I bought a “cheap” smart watch that has the ability to monitor O2, BP, HR, and do an EKG.  It was under $50 and is pretty close to what I see at the doctors office or with a finger based O2 monitor.  Search for a V19 Fitness Activity Tracker and Heath Smart Watch on Amazon.

Interesting.   That got me to looking around and I just ordered one of these to try.   It uses the same app that my current watch uses, so it will hopefully be an easy integration that way.  Has SpO2, heart rate, and a bunch of other stuff.   There's another nice one available that has fun aviator stuff like altimeter, etc., but it didn't have SpO2, so I'll try this one for now, but it looks like this stuff is heading in a very interesting direction.

https://www.amazon.com/NiceFuse-Multiple-Waterproof-Activity-Smartwatches/dp/B084RKD4VM?th=1

[Nick Pilotte]

1 hour ago, Hyett6420 said:
 

Then  the watch will tell you your heart rate, how many steps you have done today, if you have sat down too much when to get up, when tou get a telephone call, when you have new mail, the list goes on and on.  So heres the thing imagine that whereever you were, you had your other half with you, and they continually told you 

• your heart rate
• when the phone was ringing
• when you got new mail
• when you have sat down for too long
• how many steps you have done so far today  
• etc etc

now you tell me how quickly you would divorce that person if they did that every minute of every day.  

Sounds like I just saved a ton of money by having a smart watch over an administrative assistant and a personal trainer. 

[HRM]

On 9/23/2020 at 6:10 PM, 201Mooniac said:

I just got an Apple Watch 6, it has a pulse oxymeter so I wanted to try it out.  It can work without the phone nearby but you do need an iPhone to set it up.  I'm not sure how well it will work at altitude but I'll try it out on my next flight.  The heart rate and rhythm monitoring seem to work fairly well.  I'm also going to try a few aviation apps that are available for it.

So where's the PIREP? 

I've had an Apple Watch since the beginning and have a 4 now. The 5 just didn't have enough new goodies to justify a change, but the 6 with always on screen and pulse ox has garnered my attention. The big question is, will it alert you to a low blood ox reading, or does it only read when you tell it? 

If the former, then it would be the cats meow for flying. It already does a status display for ForeFlight.

[201Mooniac]

3 hours ago, HRM said:

So where's the PIREP? 

I've had an Apple Watch since the beginning and have a 4 now. The 5 just didn't have enough new goodies to justify a change, but the 6 with always on screen and pulse ox has garnered my attention. The big question is, will it alert you to a low blood ox reading, or does it only read when you tell it? 

If the former, then it would be the cats meow for flying. It already does a status display for ForeFlight.

Haven't gotten a real chance to fly with it yet but I haven't found a way to schedule readings, it does seem to take some on its own however I've don't know whether it will send alerts.  I guess I need to fly as a passenger so I can get hypoxic and see what happens

[HRM]

33 minutes ago, 201Mooniac said:

Haven't gotten a real chance to fly with it yet but I haven't found a way to schedule readings, it does seem to take some on its own however I've don't know whether it will send alerts.  I guess I need to fly as a passenger so I can get hypoxic and see what happens

Frankly, if it is regularly (eats too much power for continuous read) taking readings and then taps and alerts you when it drops below a preset level, then I am getting one.

[201Mooniac]

Looks like Garmin just announced a new watch with pulse ox and pilot integration.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/707506

[HRM]

9 minutes ago, 201Mooniac said:

Looks like Garmin just announced a new watch with pulse ox and pilot integration.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/707506

You really don't want to drink that Kool-Aid.

[exM20K]

On 9/25/2020 at 10:18 AM, aviatoreb said:

I wear a Citizen Titanium eco drive solar powered which always works and I never charge arm I think it looks nice.  It does one thing - it tells time.  Wear and forget.  Left arm.

Same.  I have an apple watch and use it when I'm riding my bike and less frequently as a watch.  O2 sat is something I care about only flying (maybe I should care more, but I don't), so there are good, dedicated devices for that.  The nav function on the Garmin watches doesn't do anything for me.

The eco drive is just perfect: E6B, charges itself, sets itself, just works.  

-dan

[Gary0747]

My main interest in a smart watch is the oxygen sat and being able to trend it as I changed altitude.  After researching it and talking with some of you I have come to the conclusion that none of the smart watches really do the job of being able to replace the finger tip clip meter.  Anybody have a different conclusion?

[aviatoreb]

I like the idea of a dedicated device the continuously monitors, and alarms if there is a problem.  So that is a push of data rather than pull of pilot remembering to put on the O2sat measuring device and check - event if every 5 min maybe that is not enough and its annoying to always be on edge to do that.  So I like continuous monitoring.

But from what I am hearing here, maybe the watch is just not accurate enough to be useful for a serious application?

Wearing a finger tip device full time is annoying since it interferes with using your hand.

How about this thing - a "ring".  I could see wearing that on my left hand while flying at altitude.  And it alarms/continuous monitoring.  Dedicated device.  And my watch remains just my watch.

https://www.amazon.com/LOOKEE-Vibrating-Notification-Insights-Aviation/dp/B07ZKF79Y1/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=o2+sat+wrist&qid=1602360853&sr=8-6

[EricJ]

Ah, here's the thread again...I'd lost track of it.

I bought the one I linked earlier and can verify that at least the O2 sensor on mine is not reliable for aviation use.    It has not agreed with my fingertip pulse-ox unless I'm up in the mid-to-upper 90 percentages.   If I go below that on the pulse-ox, the watch still says mid- to upper-90s.   Evidently the purpose of the O2 sensor in the watch is to activate during sleep cycles and try to help determine whether you have apnea or not.  You can activate it manually, too, but it's not like it's just running all the time tracking your O2.

Otherwise it's a pretty nice watch, especially for $50.    

 

[Missile=Awesome]

On 9/25/2020 at 6:39 AM, 1964-M20E said:

Well when Mickey's little had is on the 3 and the big hand is on the 12 it's 3 o'clock.  Smart enough for me.

 

 

Seems kinda Mickey Mouse 2me  

[aviatoreb]

56 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Ah, here's the thread again...I'd lost track of it.

I bought the one I linked earlier and can verify that at least the O2 sensor on mine is not reliable for aviation use.    It has not agreed with my fingertip pulse-ox unless I'm up in the mid-to-upper 90 percentages.   If I go below that on the pulse-ox, the watch still says mid- to upper-90s.   Evidently the purpose of the O2 sensor in the watch is to activate during sleep cycles and try to help determine whether you have apnea or not.  You can activate it manually, too, but it's not like it's just running all the time tracking your O2.

Otherwise it's a pretty nice watch, especially for $50.    

 

Right I got your feedback that the wrist one is not good.

the one I just linked today is a finger one but not the tip of the finger so looks operable to use full time while altitude flying and plausibly it might be accurate?

[Hector]

I would suspect that it will not be long before someone writes an ox-pulse app for the new Apple Watch that is aviation specific with most if not all of the feature we need.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Gary0747]

The keeping the hands free to fly and manipulate the instruments is the main drawback to the classic finger clip kind.  Maybe clipping it to another part of the body would work?  Maybe my big toe!

[bradp]

I stopped wearing a watch for infection control at work when covid trolled us. 
 

For those needing just a pulse ox - I just saw Massimo is selling for personal / home use presumably the same sensor we have in the hospitals.  Pretty much every hospital uses massimo sensors. 
 

https://www.masimopersonalhealth.com/products/masimo-sleep?variant=32124763570238&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-sLbla6s7AIVT8DICh03PwBREAQYASABEgKbNPD_BwE

 

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, bradp said:

I stopped wearing a watch for infection control at work when covid trolled us. 
 

For those needing just a pulse ox - I just saw Massimo is selling for personal / home use presumably the same sensor we have in the hospitals.  Pretty much every hospital uses massimo sensors. 
 

https://www.masimopersonalhealth.com/products/masimo-sleep?variant=32124763570238&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-sLbla6s7AIVT8DICh03PwBREAQYASABEgKbNPD_BwE

 

That likes like a nice unit.  It seems like it is meant to be disposable since it says up to 7 days use - like you use it for one patient in a hospital setting but you don't reuse it for a new patient.  So not necessarily for long term use for a owner pilot.  I wish the batteries were replaceable.  Or are they?  I like how the electronics are not on the finger so even though the finger is covered it is not heavy so more likely you can use your hand normally.

No one commented on the ring device I clipped above that seems very promising to me.

https://www.amazon.com/LOOKEE-Vibrating-Notification-Insights-Aviation/dp/B07ZKF79Y1/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=o2+sat+wrist&qid=1602360853&sr=8-6

and here is a different variation on that theme 

https://www.wish.com/product/5c1b0fa24dc3672cc4969914?hide_login_modal=true&from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=US&_force_currency_code=USD&pid=googleadwords_int&c={campaignId}&ad_cid=5c1b0fa24dc3672cc4969914&ad_cc=US&ad_lang=EN&ad_curr=USD&ad_price=120.00&campaign_id=7203534630&guest=true&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppyZgjQVKCWwk3qKAMoXl2z6GN7UMpRCEmRWX71cgET2lfWyoExk3BbsaAiIJEALw_wcB&share=web

and this one is another ring device but now the electronics are on the wrist like a watch.  Maybe that is the best one yet if the accuracy is good?  Any reason why accuracy might not be good at the middle of digits instead of the tips of digits?

E

[carusoam]

The ring is interesting...

• collects the data we want...
• doesn’t interfere with the finger tips
• doesn’t use the fingernail as a window to the blood stream.

The Masimo devices are also interesting for all the extra data, and presentation of data... + hospital grade...  Even on their ordinary finger tip device...

 

Some of the devices included insight to breathing rates.... which would be interesting...

 

If nothing else... we would get great insight to training on the bike trail, or while trying to improve our 5k times...  

Best regards,

-a-

 

[RobertGary1]

On 9/26/2020 at 12:13 PM, Hyett6420 said:

I am beyond amazed at people who biy smart watches, let me explain.  We were all taught to read the time were we not, so why do need it spoken to us unless we are visually impaired (we are pilots so we obviously are not visually impaired, except Marauder with his ladies!)?
 

Then  the watch will tell you your heart rate, how many steps you have done today, if you have sat down too much when to get up, when tou get a telephone call, when you have new mail, the list goes on and on.  So heres the thing imagine that whereever you were, you had your other half with you, and they continually told you 

• your heart rate
• when the phone was ringing
• when you got new mail
• when you have sat down for too long
• how many steps you have done so far today  
• etc etc

now you tell me how quickly you would divorce that person if they did that every minute of every day.  
 

So ill stick to my simple Citizen watch thank you, it has a little hand and a big hand and 12 numbers. You dont need any more for a watch!  

I have  job that has me sitting most all day. I've found my Apple Watch very helpful in keeping my health up. It keeps track of my general activity, standing time and exercise time. I honestly go on more frequent more brisk walks because if I don't it tells me I'm not being good. But also because I'm an engineer type and it provides me quantitative data like I burned 200 less calories than yesterday. That registers with me vs the more qualitative approach most people take of trying to exercise but not knowing specifically how its affecting them.

I also put everything I eat into my iPhone for the same reason.  Once I saw quantitative numbers on calorie intake vs output (as measured by the watch) I started loosing weight immediately. Before the relationship was too nebulous to me. I don't feel like I'm dieting at all but there are probably snacks I skip because I don't want the guilt of entering it into the phone.

 

-Robert

[aviatoreb]

How about this thing?  A nice simple no frills device.  I am thinking this might be the one to keep in the airplane and to wear just while flying.

...if I think it would be accurate.

I think (but not sure) it alarms when parameters (O2sat) are out of spec.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/605739/pn/010-01995-10

[carusoam]

3 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

How about this thing?  A nice simple no frills device.  I am thinking this might be the one to keep in the airplane and to wear just while flying.

...if I think it would be accurate.

I think (but not sure) it alarms when parameters (O2sat) are out of spec.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/605739/pn/010-01995-10

That looks like a winner!

First time I have seen that by big G...

They, like APPL, like the high quality products...

It might not qualify for medical grade... but it won’t be fluff either...

Even casual athletes would send it back if it didn’t meet expectation...

It would be extra special, if it didn’t confuse CO with O2... typical challenge of the finger tip color sensors...

Best regards,

-a-

[aviatoreb]

5 hours ago, carusoam said:

That looks like a winner!

First time I have seen that by big G...

They, like APPL, like the high quality products...

It might not qualify for medical grade... but it won’t be fluff either...

Even casual athletes would send it back if it didn’t meet expectation...

It would be extra special, if it didn’t confuse CO with O2... typical challenge of the finger tip color sensors...

Best regards,

-a-

Yeah - funny eh - a health watch device by Garmin with no embedded gps at all. 

I would love to hear people's reaction as to if it has accuracy enough - O2sat I mean - for our pilot use since as with all sensors, the one thing worse than no sensor is relying on a bad sensor.