Ember is a smartphone connected, non-invasive hemoglobin sensor

Ember

Hemoglobin is a protein in our blood that binds and carries oxygen. Serious athletes regularly check their hemoglobin levels in order to maximize oxygen carrying potential. Testing for hemoglobin levels isn’t as seamless as it should be — but Irvine, California-based Cercacor Laboratories is looking to change that with the use of mobile technology.

At CES, they showed us a smartphone connected fingertip sensor that can measure hemoglobin and pulse rate in 90 seconds. Called “Ember,” the device works similar to a common pulse oximeter with the addition of eight LEDs to allow for the extreme sensitivity to accurately and precisely measure hemoglobin. Once captured, the measurements are synced via Bluetooth to an app which can display trends over time and correlate them with the season and the altitude at which they were taken.

Needless to say, this is a painless process that doesn’t involve analysis of one’s blood, enabling users to measure their hemoglobin as often and wherever they’d like.

Ember’s underlying tech, Masimo’s Rainbow Signal Extraction Technology, has been clinically validated and used in hospitals for years. For athletes, it brings a new way to check how their training impacts performance.

Ember is now up for pre-order for $499 and will be shipping in March.