Apple Watch fall detection helps rescue a man who fell off a cliff
The Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5 have a fall detection feature that automatically is enabled for those 65 or older. So we have to give 28-year old James Prudenciano some props for taking his Series 4 timepiece and turning on fall detection. If the watch detects that the user has taken a hard fall, it will tap him or her on the wrist, sound an alarm and give the user the option of calling emergency services or dismissing the alarm. If the user cannot move and doesn't respond for more than a minute, the watch automatically calls emergency services with the location of the injured person. Additionally, the watch owner's emergency contacts are also notified and are given the location of the incident.
Prudenciano slipped into the water but landed on some rocks causing three fractures. Thanks to his Apple Watch and the call it made to 9-1-1, both he and Paruso were rescued, put on a boat that happened to be in the area, and ended up receiving treatment at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center. At the same time that the Apple Watch was calling 9-1-1, Prudenciano's mother says she received three text messages from the time letting her know there was an emergency. The incident, by the way, occurred on Prudenciano and Paruso's first date. We wonder if there will be a second date.
Besides the fall detection feature, the Series 4 and Series 5 Apple Watch have a heart rate monitor and an electrocardiogram (ECG). The former alerts users when their heart rate is too high and the latter detects abnormal heart rhythms. Together with the fall detection, the Apple Watch has saved a number of lives over the years. The device has become the most popular band-worn wearable in the world and by some counts, it is the most popular watch in the world. That is pretty impressive when you consider how long watchmakers like Rolex on the high-end and Casio on the low-end have been around.
When Apple introduced the Apple Watch in 2015, it actually wasn't sure what it had. On one side the device was considered another mobile tech device, and on the other hand Apple pushed it as a fashion item. It arranged for the device to be photographed in fashion magazines and sold at high-end jewelry stores. But eventually, Apple decided to focus on the technology aspects of the watch, including the health-related features. The company is said to working on a native sleep monitoring app for next year's timepiece and is reportedly developing what would be a blockbuster feature. This would be a glucometer to measure a wearer's blood sugar. Insulin dependent diabetics need to test themselves several times a day to see how much insulin to take before a meal. This requires that they prick themselves (a painful process we might add) before each test. It also requires the purchase of expensive test strips that are used once and discarded. If the Apple Watch can include a sensor to test blood glucose, it could result in a surge in sales. After all, there are millions of diabetics world wide who take insulin daily.
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