Oura, a Finland-based company known for its health tracking ring, recently introduced two new heart health monitoring features to its Oura Ring wearable device, Cardiovascular Age (CVA) and Cardio Capacity. These features will be available on the latest Oura Ring Gen3 devices for both Android and iOS platforms starting this month.
The CVA feature utilizes data from the device to estimate a user’s cardiovascular age in comparison to their actual age. By analyzing age-related patterns within the photoplethysmograph (PPG) signal, which provides insights into arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity (PWV), users can receive a metric indicating if they are trending below, above, or in alignment (within five years) with their chronological age after using the Oura App for at least two weeks. The app then offers suggestions on behaviors that could positively impact long-term health based on this data.
The Cardio Capacity tool offers insights into overall cardiovascular health by estimating VO2Max, a key indicator of aerobic endurance. Ring owners can establish a baseline VO2Max by completing a walking test, which translates to Cardio Capacity. The company collaborated with experts from the Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles to develop algorithms for these features.
To help users manage their CVA, Oura provides personalized strategies weekly and monthly for improving or maintaining cardiovascular health, with recommendations for enhancing sleep quality, physical activity, and stress management.
Dr. Shyamal Patel, senior vice president of science at Oura, emphasized the importance of prioritizing cardiovascular health for extending healthspan and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, underscoring the company’s commitment to ongoing investment and development in heart health.
In addition to its latest features, Oura has been making significant strides in the health tech industry. The company raised 0 million in Series C funding in 2021, bringing its valuation to .55 billion in 2022. Oura also formed partnerships with Natural Cycles for birth control monitoring and Talkspace for teletherapy services, providing users with innovative ways to manage their health data.
With the launch of Oura for Business and the acquisition of digital identification startup Proxy, Oura continues to expand its offerings and collaborations in the wearable technology space. Wearers of the Oura ring can share personalized sleep and movement data through partnerships like Talkspace, enhancing their overall wellness journey.
