Although the product’s unveiling may appear as a rival solution to offerings such as the Fitbit and Apple Watch, Sony’s ‘mSafety’ device is aimed at healthcare industry systems and developers, who can use the device’s unique features to build out capabilities for specific healthcare use cases.

Anders Strömberg, Head of Wearable Platform Department at Sony Network Communications Europe, explained: “It's a user-friendly, IoT wearable that doesn't need nearby access to a phone. It's designed for healthcare use cases to provide continuous monitoring for people living with chronic health conditions, like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or for at-risk seniors living in their own homes."

Sony debuted the mSafety platform at the Connected Health Conference in Boston and plans a formal rollout of the product in 2020. The solution is currently being tested by several healthcare companies, including one that is using remote monitoring to remind patients to take their medication to help improve medication adherence, Strömberg noted.

"The platform was built with a specific purpose in mind, to improve health and save lives," concluded Strömberg.