launched the Pixel 8 and
Pixel 8 Pro
smartphones in October 2023. The Pixel 8 Pro included a new
Thermometer app
that allowed users to take the temperature of things like your baby’s milk bottle or your coffee. Now, Google has announced that the Thermometer app in the Pixel 8 Pro can be used to
measure body temperature
.
With the latest January Pixel feature drop, the company added a new body temperature feature in the Thermometer app for Pixel 8 Pro.
This feature allows users to quickly scan a person’s forehead with their phone and measure the body temperature.
Google claims that this feature has been approved by the FDA and is “about as accurate as other temporal artery thermometers.” users can also store the readings from the app on their Fitbit profile to get a deeper understanding of their health. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to measure body temperature using the Pixel 8 Pro smartphone:
How to measure body temperature with Pixel 8 Pro
- Open the rear camera on your Pixel 8 Pro
- Point it at your/other’s forehead
- Sweep the camera across the forehead to take readings
It's important to note that users don’t need to open the Thermometer app for this feature to work. The company also claims that, unlike the less accurate forehead thermometers that are pointed at the centre of the forehead, the Pixel 8 Pro will accurately measure the user’s temperature by scanning the temporal artery.
How this feature works
In a blog post, Google explains that the Pixel 8 Pro houses an infrared sensor which is placed next to the rear camera. Initially, this sensor was used to power the object temperature feature. The company notes that this sensor now powers the body temperature feature as well. The data from the infrared sensor is passed to an algorithm to calculate the temperature which is displayed on the Tensor G3 chipset powered device.
Google also notes that the Pixel 8 Pro’s infrared sensor’s wide field of view (more than 130 degrees) causes it to sense heat beyond the forehead when the phone is too far away from the forehead.
For this feature, Google also uses a laser detection autofocus (LDAF) sensor. Pixel product manager, Toni Urban explains that the LDAF sensor which is typically used for the autofocus system is used “to detect if the phone is close enough to a person’s forehead before initiating a measurement.”
Using the LDAF sensor, the Pixel 8 Pro knows if it’s in the best position to take a reading. Additionally, Google also added haptics and audio instructions to guide users to sweep the phone across the forehead and past the temporal artery.
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