The future of real-time blood pressure sensing on smartwatches is here

By Nadeem Sarwar Published January 7, 2025

In the world of mass-market wrist-based wearables, blood pressure sensing is being seen as the next holy grail for health monitoring. Samsung has already rolled out blood pressure sensing on its smartwatches, with a calibration caveat.

However, the approach taken by the likes of Samsung isn’t the most accurate out there. The Galaxy Watch, for example, relies on a Photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor that shines light through the vessels to measure the change in blood volume and accordingly provide a blood pressure estimate.

At the dawn of 2025, we are on the cusp of another wearable blood pressure sensing breakthrough, one that is more accurate and comes courtesy of Novosound. The Scottish company is demonstrating its ultrasound blood pressure monitoring device at CES 2025.

Notably, Novosound claims that it has been able to “achieve accuracy levels comparable to conventional electronic cuff devices.” Based on the company’s patented Slanj platform, the contraption relies on a thin-film ultrasound tech stack.

“Having a product that continuously tracks blood pressure in real time is considered by many to be a ‘holy grail’ when it comes to health, and we are proving that ultrasound provides the answer,” says Novosound chief Dave Hughes.

The company claims that Slanj is a world’s-first wearable ultrasound sensor that can monitor blood pressure levels in real time without cuffs or wires. Notably, the sensor stack can also measure other body stats such as muscle health and hydration levels.

“It’s like having a mini clinic on your wrist — but one that looks way cooler than your granddad’s blood pressure monitor,” the company claims on its official website.

Novosound clearly states that the miniaturized ultrasonic blood pressure sensor is destined for smartwatches and even smart rings. The company says it has already tested the sensor’s efficacy in real-world scenarios and presented the findings as well.

The Scottish company says the Slanj sensor platform can also play a pivotal role in gesture recognition. At CES 2025, we have already seen products like WowMouse, an app that relies on wearable devices’ onboard sensors for gesture control.

Novosound has already attracted partners for the Slanj stack, but it would be interesting to see which consumer electronics label snags the idea and brings the convenient tech to the market.