Huawei Health Lab: The Future of Wearable Devices and Health Monitoring

In recent years, scientists and engineers who were once responsible for the mechanics of classic watches have shifted their focus to the development of smartwatches. These devices are now commonplace on our wrists, tracking a wide range of parameters related to our health and fitness activities. We recently had the opportunity to visit Huawei’s Health Lab in Helsinki, a cutting-edge health laboratory dedicated to creating wearable gadgets for the future.

The lab is equipped with advanced equipment and real sports environments that allow it to monitor over 200 physiological and biomechanical indicators. There are five main research areas in the lab, including a multi-purpose treadmill, a cardio gym, a ski simulator, and a counter-current pool. These areas enable athletes to simulate real sports scenarios in order to optimize their performance.

Athletes such as triathlete Julia Kekkonen and paraathlete Esa-Pekka Mattila use the lab to train and improve their performance. Huawei is also working on developing activity monitoring for athletes with disabilities, which will offer more sports features in wearable smart products. The lab integrates various Huawei Watch devices to enhance the accuracy of the data collected during tests.

The lab is staffed by six PhDs and 20 external experts in physiology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software development. Their goal is to standardize measurements performed by watches at a European level while collaborating with European universities on research programs like iCARE4CVD, which focuses on cardiovascular diseases and artificial intelligence.

Huawei’s Health Lab is committed to continuous improvement and research using the latest technology and data processing algorithms. Studies conducted at the lab, combined with collaboration from researchers and athletes, provide valuable insights into the future development of wearable devices and health monitoring solutions.