If you’re interested in knowing more about your health rather than tracking activity, smart rings are rapidly becoming more enticing than smartwatches. Circular, the company behind the Circular Ring and Circular Ring 2, has announced a new feature called the Immunity Index, and it’s a great example of why health-conscious people may prefer a smart ring.
The feature is designed to help wearers recognize early signs of strain on their body, which may indicate the onset of illness.
“With the Immunity Index, we’re shifting the health conversation from reactive to proactive. Our goal is to empower people with real-time insights so they can take small, smart actions before minor fatigue turns into full-blown sickness,” said Circular CEO Amaury Kosman.
It works by monitoring eight specific metrics collected by the smart ring, including resting heart rate, body temperature, heart rate variability (HRV) and breathing regularity during sleep to spot changes which indicate your body is working harder than usual. The data is collated in the app and presented on a simple-to-understand scale.
For example, if all eight checks are normal, then you’re doing well and no action will be needed, while if only four checks match your regular baseline, the app will suggest it’s time to monitor your activity and slow down. If it sees only two or fewer data points are in the normal range, it’s likely you’re under serious strain and illness is just around the corner. The app also has a feature where you can log your own symptoms, helping inform the app about your condition.
It joins a similar feature on the Oura Ring
Circular’s Immunity Index isn’t the only feature of its type. It follows the Oura Ring’s Symptom Radar, which works in a similar way by monitoring key data points and alerting you if it spots signs of strain. In addition to a traffic light-style alert system, it also presents the data in graph form, so you can immediately see how your body has changed over a week. It’s surprisingly accurate, and will quickly confirm you may be in the early stages of illness, or another condition that can put strain on your body.
Very few smartwatches provide such deep insight. The closest match is found in the Apple Watch, where the Vitals app introduced in WatchOS 11 gives insight into your daily health based on a selection of different metrics. Samsung has opted to introduce features like the Antioxidant Index with its latest Galaxy Watch 8 series. Smart rings tend to be better at spotting rapid changes to your baseline stats due to the device being easier to wear 24 hours a day.
The Immunity Index will be made available to Circular Ring owners through an app update on July 30, and will be part of the forthcoming Circular Ring 2’s feature list. The crowdfunding campaign for the Circular Ring 2 indicates the app and its features will not need a subscription. The Oura Ring 4 is available now, and its Symptom Radar feature is part of its $6 per month app subscription.
