CES 2023 Unveils Calibration-Free, Fingertip Blood Pressure Monitor

At CES 2023, Valencell presented what it says is the world's first cuffless blood pressure monitor. The device doesn't appear to be like anything else on the market. Valencell announced plans for the product in 2021 and revealed the final product at CES 2023 this Tuesday.   

Valencell -- the company behind sensors in your Samsung, Suunto, Bose and Jarba products -- is well known in digital health. President and co-founder Steven LeBoeuf has patented more than 100 wearable biomedical sensors, with expertise in photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors.  

For over a decade, Valencell has been collecting raw data with PPG technology with the hope to bring products with accurate results to market and help consumers manage chronic conditions. 

Valencell fingertip device

Upon analyzing its own PPG datasets, Valencell developed an algorithm that can measure blood pressure patterns. From there, it designed a device that can read blood pressure without calibration or a cuff. It simply goes over your finger.

The device is small and black, has a built-in screen that shows diastolic and systolic results, and connects to an app on your phone via Bluetooth. It "fits a little snug but no squeeze. It is similar to a fingertip pulse oximeter," LeBoeuf told CNET. Once over the finger, the product reads blood pressure in under a minute.  

When connected to the device, the app will keep a record of all past readings and can graph trends over time. Consumers will be able to download and share their data and set daily or weekly reminders to check their blood pressure.  

Valencell plans soon to expand the app to include hypertension management. It will then be able to coach users and suggest diet and exercise plans.  

The device is pending FDA approval but Valencell is expecting clearance in late 2023. Once approved, the product will be available over the counter. It is expected to retail for about $99. 

Future of digital health devices

Valencell's cuffless, calibration-free personal blood pressure monitor, once FDA-approved, would be available not just for personal use, but also for professional use by doctors.

Demand clearly exists for personal, medical-grade devices -- over-the-counter hearing aids, for instance, hit the market late last year -- and as more products follow and get into the hands of everyday consumers, that will mean more accessible health care.  

Valencell plans to expand in the future, possibly putting this technology into everyday objects such as smartphones or watches to make measuring vitals even easier.