Wearable fitness makers are increasingly interested in tracking our vitals. Now Fitbit has announced a collaboration with glucose monitor company Dexcom to develop and market products to help those with diabetes better manage the disease, starting with Fitbit’s Ionic Smartwatch.
Starting in 2018, the Fitbit Ionic will show users data from the Dexcom G5 Mobile sensor, which is worn just under the skin and can show vitals every 5 minutes. This means you will have to insert the $900 sensor first.
The Dexcom sensor is also supported by the Apple Watch, via a reroute through the iPhone but will soon be on the Watch itself through core Bluetooth, which is coming in watchOS4.
Tracking using Fitbit and Apple Watch is still rather difficult if you can’t afford Dexcom’s monitoring device. However, for those with the device already implanted it could prove useful. More than 422 million people around the world have diabetes, a fraction of whom are presumed to be using a wearable for tracking their blood glucose levels.
“The collaboration between Dexcom and Fitbit is an important step in providing useful information to people with diabetes that is both convenient and discreet,” said Dexcom CEO Kevin Saye in a statement. “We believe that providing Dexcom CGM data on Fitbit Ionic, and making that experience available to users of both Android and iOS devices, will have a positive impact on the way people manage their diabetes.”