Smart ring maker Ultrahuman to roll out biological-age model across UAE

Your health tracking data from any wearable can now be used to estimate your biological age in the UAE.

Bengaluru-based health tech startup Ultrahuman has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center (ADPHC) in the UAE to develop and validate a biological-age model. This two-year memorandum of understanding aims to combine clinical biomarkers with data from wearable devices, including smart rings, to estimate an individual's aging rate and identify contributing factors like sleep and activity. The initiative is Ultrahuman's strategic move to deploy its health algorithms at a larger scale, positioning itself as a health-data company rather than just a hardware provider. The model, intended to be wearable-agnostic, will eventually be accessible to UAE residents through government digital-health platforms. Ultrahuman has sold approximately 800,000 smart rings globally and sees the UAE as a significant market, accounting for 4-5% of its revenue.

This collaboration signifies a broader trend of health-tech companies shifting from hardware sales to leveraging data for advanced health insights and services. By integrating with government health infrastructure, Ultrahuman aims to access a more diverse population dataset, enhancing the robustness and applicability of its algorithms beyond its existing user base. The partnership's emphasis on a wearable-agnostic model suggests a future where health data aggregation is platform-independent, potentially setting a new standard for personalized health monitoring.

The initiative may also intensify competition in the preventive health and smart ring market, as both Ultrahuman and Oura are exploring similar avenues with Abu Dhabi authorities. For consumers, this could lead to more integrated health management tools and a deeper understanding of their health trajectory. The focus on biological age rather than chronological age presents a new metric for individuals to engage with their health, potentially influencing lifestyle choices and healthcare interventions across a national scale.