With the January Feature Drop, the Pixel 8 Pro’s thermometer is getting the ability to measure body temperature after launching with object support, and Google today detailed how it works.
Google Health has a team “working to bring health tools to Pixel phones.” (In 2021, Google Fit gained the ability to measure heart and respiratory rate using your phone’s cameras.) The company first “developed a miniaturized device that included an infrared sensor for body temperature measurement” that then “evolved to become a feature for the Pixel phone.”
To scan your temporal artery, the Pixel 8 Pro has to be swept across the center of your forehead to your temple. This is said to be more accurate than “forehead thermometers that are pointed at the center of the forehead.”
“Arteries are relatively small, so the closer you are, the more accurate reading you will get.”
Since the infrared sensor has a wide field of view (130+ degrees), the Pixel 8 Pro has to be placed within a half inch of skin or it will “sense heat beyond the forehead.” However, Google wanted the Pixel 8 Pro’s body thermometer to be “contactless to prevent the spread of germs.”
The solution was using the camera’s LDAF (laser detection autofocus) sensor to “detect if the phone is close enough to a person’s forehead before initiating a measurement,” with a vibration providing confirmation.
That infrared sensor data is then processed by an algorithm that calculates temperature “in the range of 96.9°F – 104°F (36.1°C – 40°C) to within ±0.3°C.” This is according to Google’s clinical trials and in comparison to an FDA-cleared temporal artery thermometer.
FDA approval (De Novo classification) for this thermometer, which are regulated medical devices in the US, was granted in mid-December.
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