How a smartwatch app could help you quit smoking, according to new research
Smartwatch app detects movements that indicate smoking, sends vibration alert, a text offering moral support and tally of cigarettes smoked
Technology in smartwatches could help people quit smoking, according to researchers who have developed an app which intervenes when movements indicating cigarette use are detected.
The team at the UK’s University of Bristol created software that uses motion sensors on an Android smartwatch to identify the typical hand movements of smoking.
Once detected, the app delivers a vibration alert with a text message designed by smokers and former smokers, offering support about stopping smoking to the smartwatch screen.
One message reads, “Stopping smoking lets you breathe more easily … Quitting is good”, while others contain a tally of how many cigarettes were smoked and the total number of drags taken that day.
After reading the message, participants can swipe it away or press a button to display information about accessing the UK National Health Service’s smoking cessation support pages online.
