Blood pressure and body fat monitoring wristwatch

When we first saw this on The Red Ferret Journal (http://www.enorgis.com), we thought there had been a breakthrough in technology, with them being able to miniaturise a blood pressure and body fat monitor to fit the form factor of a wristwatch but ... then we saw how big it was. Still, the MF-90 Body Fat Blood Pressure Monitor as it is an improvement on anything previously available in home health monitoring.

The 93mm x 75mm x 70mm MF-90 weighs 150 grams (batteries included) and is small enough to be comfortable because it measures blood pressure at the wrist.

It stores up to 10 readings - each of body fat and blood pressure - for four people.

The body fat monitor provides fast (five seconds) accurate BIA (Bio-Impedance Analysis) Body Fat Measurement and calculates BMI (Body Mass Index) and a program which they call the "IQ System" apparently assures quick and precise blood pressure readings.

This IQ System is a group of features allowing rapid measurement of blood pressure without sacrificing accuracy.

While accurately measuring blood pressure in about one half the time, the IQ System significantly improves user comfort by reducing time at higher cuff pressures. The cuff of the MF-90 fits wrist sizes 4.9 to 8.1 inches.

At US$74.95 (http://quickmedical.com/mark_of_fitness/bloodpressure/mf90.html), the MF-90 is one of a growing number of devices likely to become household appliances in the future.

Technology now enables us to track all of the key numbers in measuring our ongoing health at home, and we can expect to see many variations on this device as health equipment manufacturers and handheld computers converge.

It's only a matter of time before someone gets a device (perhaps a peripheral for a PDA) which enables you to regularly check blood pressure during day-to-day activities.