Fitbit is pivoting from the fitness segment to the medical market. The company is reportedly building a monitor to aid in the diagnosis of sleep apnea, CNBC reports.
Here are four things to know.
1. The monitor would track an individual's heart rate and blood oxygenation throughout the night as indicators of sleep apnea, Conor Heneghan, PhD, lead research scientist at Fitbit, told CNBC.
2. The monitor would not make a final diagnosis, rather, it would encourage a user to visit a physician if it determines their sleep patterns are indicative of the disorder. After diagnosis, the monitor would aid users in tracking how effective their suggested treatment is.
3. Fitbit is currently evaluating how well prototypes of the monitor detect sleep apnea. Dr. Heneghan, who is working with sleep labs to determine the device's accuracy, told CNBC he hopes to put the sleep apnea product on the market within a year.
4. The company's transition to the medical market follows lackluster performance from its fitness trackers, according to CNBC. Fitbit's stock price fell 62 percent in the past year, CNBC reports, and by some estimates Apple Watch overtook Fitbit as the top fitness tracker in the first quarter of 2017.