Cue measures vitamin D and fertility, brings lab testing to your home
Wearables like FitBit and the Jawbone UP have encouraged our love of personal statistics, but they're currently limited to steps taken, distance walked and a handful of other relatively simple metrics. And while some gadgets can monitor your heart rate, what about things like inflammation and vitamin D levels? Enter Cue, a 3-inch device that specializes in measuring these and several other stats, including testosterone levels and influenza. It's available for a special pre-order price of $149 starting today, and it's expected to ship in spring 2015 under the FDA's investigational devices exemption. That's a long way away, but as someone who hates the doctor's office, I'm intrigued by the idea of bringing lab tests into the home. Jump past the break for a closer look.
Developed by a San-Diego based technology company of the same name, the Cue comes with single-use cartridges that measure fertility, testosterone, influenza, vitamin D and inflammation. (Those are the currently available tests, though additional ones will be added further down the line.) You add a droplet of saliva or blood -- or a nasal swab -- and the device analyzes your sample, sending information to an app on your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. The idea is that you'll perform tests several times to monitor your health, and Cue's app will show you charts that display your progress.
Beyond just tracking inflammation and testosterone levels, though, the system will offer you recommendations based on your results. This kind of information is what makes the future of health-tracking devices so exciting, after all; beyond just monitoring how many calories you've burned, gadgets will soon analyze our data to let us know when we need to hit the gym or get a few more hours of sleep. We've already seen this functionality in devices like the Jaybird Reign, but a sophisticated device like the Cue, complete with various cartridge tests, promises to be even more insightful.
Cue's makers, Ayub Khattak and Clint Sever, emphasize that the gadget isn't meant to replace your doctor. Instead, the home tests empower you in managing your health, and they could inform your conversations when do visit a physician. The potential benefits are especially clear when considering the fertility cartridge test: tracking your Luteinizing Hormone helps in planning when to conceive, and if you can get that information without a trip to the lab, all the better.
Again, the Cue isn't set to launch until next year, but the company is kicking off pre-orders today. The first 1,000 buyers will get theirs for $149, while the remaining units will go for $199. Check out the source link for more info.
