The battery-operated, $100 Thermo takes your temperature from the temporal artery, which is on the side of your head (and also a more hygienic way to measure temperature). When you place the device against your forehead, the Thermo’s 16 infrared sensors take 4,000 separate measurements of the temporal artery in two seconds. The device uses an algorithm to determine the most accurate temperature. When measurement is complete, the Thermo will vibrate to tell you it’s done.
The temperature readings are color-coded so you’ll instantly be able to tell if it’s in the normal range in green, moderately elevated in orange, and feverish in red. According to Withings, this makes it easier for parents to take the temperatures of their sleeping children in the dark.
Thermo uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to automatically sync with its dedicated app on iOS and Android, and can be used on multiple family members without needing to be disinfected. This separates the Thermo from other Wi-Fi thermometers on the market, which are cheaper but use the old-fashioned under-the-tongue temperature-taking method. There are other, cheaper forehead thermometers, too, but they don’t sync up to an app. The Thermo app can push out a notification when it’s time to take another measurement in the case of fever, and it’s also useful for doctors, because you can store temperatures and enter notes about them in the app and show them to a physician.
Withings is showing off the Thermo at CES this week and plans to ship the device this quarter. Thermo has already been cleared by the FDA for sale in the U.S.