Alphabet’s Verily details its sleek Study Watch for collecting health data

For the past two years, Verily — previously known as Google Life Sciences — has been working on a wearable that records vast amounts of health data. The Alphabet company is now showing off the rather sleek Verily Study Watch for the first time.

This “investigational device” captures health data that is “critical to the success of continuous care platforms and clinical research.” Despite the sensors packed into the device, it looks very much like a traditional round watch with a metal frame and leather band.

The always-on display, which at the moment only shows the time and instructions, features a frame that shows tick marks for hours. There are also three hardware buttons on the right edge.

The Verily Study Watch is capable of recording electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, electrodermal activity, and inertial movements thanks to “multiple physiological and environmental sensors.”

Paired with a “powerful processor,” real-time algorithms can run on the device, with OTA software updates adding new algorithms and improved user interfaces.

Battery life lasts up to one week, while “large internal storage and data compression” allows for weeks’ worth of raw data to be collected. On-device data is encrypted, with that information uploaded and processed using Verily backend algorithms and machine learning tools.

As an investigational device, the watch is not for sale, but will be used in the Personalized Parkinson’s Project and the Baseline study to explore the relation between health and disease.