The motion sensors on the Apple Watch could prove to be a useful tool for doctors to monitor patients with Parkinson's, a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often accompanied by tremors.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Rune Labs approval to use their software paired with Apple Watch to track symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Rune Labs is a San Francisco-based digital health startup that creates software for watchOS that can detect common Parkinson's symptoms such as tremors, involuntary or slow movements, stiffness, and poor balance.
Smartphones and other forms of remote monitoring from Parkinson's have been around for a while, but this is the first software designed for the Apple Watch that has been FDA-approved.
Since Apple Watch Series 4 was first released in 2018, it's been able to detect falling objects and offer advanced activity metrics.
That same year Apple added the Movement Disorder API to the open-source ResearchKit, opening the door for developers to create watchOS apps for tracking Parkinson's and other diseases.
Rune Labs is the first to use the API for commercial purposes as reported by us from Engadget, Wednesday (15/6/2022).
The watchOS app from Rune Labs will give doctors access to data on a patient's movement over time, and can then supplement the information they get from an in-person physical examination.
Rune Labs also notes that the Apple Watch is not capable of giving patients a complete picture of their disorder.
"Of course, there are limitations to Apple's Movement Disorders device: tremor and dyskinesia are only two of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and the classification itself isn't perfect," Rune Labs founder Brian Pepin wrote in a blog post.
Apple has long focused on expanding and updating its smartwatch health and fitness tracking capabilities.