(Motley Fool) – Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) introduced a new wristband and fitness tracker dubbed Amazon Halo, which will take on industry leader Fitbit (NYSE:FIT) as well as the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Watch.
The Amazon Halo has a number of advanced features designed to help users improve their health. This includes an accelerometer, temperature sensor, and heart rate monitor. The Halo also uses on-board computer vision that allows users to accurately measure their body fat percentage. The device can monitor the time and quality of sleep, recording various sleep cycles, movement, and skin temperature. It can also analyze the user’s tone of voice to measure emotional well-being.
“Health is much more than just the number of steps you take in a day or how many hours you sleep,” said Dr. Maulik Majmudar, principal medical officer, Amazon Halo. “Amazon Halo combines the latest medical science, highly accurate data via the Halo Band sensors, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence to offer a more comprehensive approach to improving your health and wellness.”
This suite of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can offer customized advice and actionable insights in conjunction with the Amazon Halo app. This includes a variety of “challenges, experiments, and workouts” to help users better understand what works best for them. Examples include cutting out afternoon caffeine to improve sleep or identifying a specific type of workout that is most effective.
Customers can get the device and a six-month subscription to the service for an introductory price of $64.99, automatically renewing at $3.99 per month.
This is the latest move by Amazon to make inroads into the healthcare space. In early 2018, the company partnered with Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) (NYSE:BRK.A) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) in a joint venture dubbed Haven, whose sole purpose was to address healthcare issues. The company has since rolled out Amazon Care, a healthcare service offered to employees and their families. Amazon also acquired online pharmacy PillPack and has partnered with Crossover Health to open its first health clinic.
