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The World Health Organization estimates over a billion smokers across the world, but also notes that most who are aware of the dangers associated with smoking want to quit. All they need is counselling, help, and encouragement.
And that’s a view Tel Aviv-based Somatix hopes to foster and encourage. Its product, Smokebeat, is a data analytics platform that works with all commercial smartwatches and wristbands to identify, in real time, when users are smoking. Smokebeat’s algorithm recognizes movements to ascertain “hand-to-mouth” gestures, and can distinguish between eating, drinking, shaving, smoking, and other actions. Eran Ofir, CEO of Somatix, tells Tech in Asia the sensors are “100% accurate” as it can identify puffs and understand the average cigarette consists of 6 to 12 puffs.
“Doctors are given a remote monitoring tool and a dashboard where they can see the adherence and success of users in smoking cessation. We don’t determine the [smoking cessation] process, it is up to the doctor, but we are able to calculate its efficacy,” Eran says. The target market is large corporates, insurance companies, and healthcare organizations.
To encourage users to quit smoking, Eran says Smokebeat tries a number of different angles, including financial, social, emotional, and cognitive incentives.
