Ultrahuman announces Heart Scan feature for Ring Air and Ring Pro users

Expanding the Health Ecosystem: Ultrahuman’s New Heart Scan

Ultrahuman is deepening its commitment to medical-grade health monitoring with the introduction of its "Heart Scan" feature. This new functionality, now rolling out to users of the Ring Air and the newer Ring Pro, represents a significant evolution in how the company approaches cardiovascular health. While the company previously introduced atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection through its "PowerPlug" ecosystem, Heart Scan shifts the paradigm from passive, background monitoring to active, user-initiated diagnostics.

The feature is powered by FibriCheck, a medically certified platform specializing in heart rhythm analysis. By integrating this technology directly into the Ultrahuman app, the company is bridging the gap between everyday wellness tracking and clinical-grade health data. This development is particularly timely, as the Ring Air gained AFib detection capabilities in July 2024, while the Ring Pro—launched in February 2024—was designed with these advanced sensing capabilities from its inception.

How the Heart Scan Works

Unlike the existing AFib screening feature, which operates silently in the background during sleep, Heart Scan is an on-demand tool. This allows users to proactively check their heart health whenever they feel symptoms or simply want a snapshot of their cardiovascular status. The process is streamlined for ease of use within the Ultrahuman mobile application:

• Initiation: Users trigger the scan directly from the Ultrahuman app dashboard.
• Execution: The scan requires 60 seconds of stillness, during which the ring’s sensors capture the necessary pulse data.
• Analysis: The raw signal is processed using the FibriCheck algorithm, which is designed to interpret heart rhythm patterns with high precision.

Once the analysis is complete, the app delivers a comprehensive result. Beyond a simple status update, the system generates a detailed FibriCheck PDF report. This documentation includes a pulse recording, a tachogram, and a Lorenz plot—a scatter plot used to visualize the variability between consecutive heartbeats. This level of detail is intended to provide users with actionable data that can be shared with healthcare professionals if necessary.

Interpreting Results and Clinical Limitations

Understanding the nuance of these health metrics is crucial for users. Ultrahuman has clearly defined the potential outcomes of a Heart Scan, which include: Regular, Possibly irregular, Possible atrial fibrillation, Signal quality too low, or Inconclusive.

However, it is vital to approach these results with the understanding that wearable technology serves as a tool for monitoring rather than a definitive diagnostic device. Ultrahuman explicitly cautions that FibriCheck is not capable of detecting heart attacks or ischemic conditions. Furthermore, the company emphasizes that a "Regular" result does not serve as a clean bill of health that rules out all heart rhythm conditions. Users should always consult with a medical professional if they experience persistent symptoms or receive concerning alerts from their device.

Availability and Access Requirements

The Heart Scan feature is currently being rolled out across supported markets, including the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. To access the functionality, users must ensure their applications are updated to the latest versions: version 4.3.0 for iOS and version 3.2.0.0 for Android. Eligible users can access these on-demand scans directly through the Ultrahuman dashboard.

While the Heart Scan feature itself is accessible to those with the appropriate hardware, the broader AFib Detection PowerPlug—which provides the critical nighttime screening—operates on a subscription model. In the UK, this service is priced at £4.90 per month or £49 per year. For users within the Eurozone, the pricing is set at €5.90 per month or €49 per year. For those not yet part of the ecosystem, both the Ring Air and the Ring Pro remain available for purchase through the official Ultrahuman website, signaling the company's ongoing strategy to bundle high-end hardware with subscription-based health intelligence services.

Source: Written by the TechX team based on GSMArena reporting.