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Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

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Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#191

Post by JshWright »

DuskStar wrote: post #67
joshvm wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The specs for the watch specifically rule out heart attack detection, by the way. > Apple Watch cannot detect heart attacks. If you ever experience chest pain, pressure, tightness, or what you think is a heart attack, call emergency services immediately.

"What we list for legal purposes" and "what the device actually does" might not be the same thing. I imagine saying "my device detects heart attacks" gets the FDA involved and makes everything ten times more expensive...

The watch doesn't have enough data to detect a heart attack. It's not possible for the device to do it (with current, or even near-future technology it's not possible for any wrist worn device to detect a heart attack as it's happening).

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#192

Post by JshWright »

kirrent wrote: post #127
DuskStar wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"What we list for legal purposes" and "what the device actually does" might not be the same thing. I imagine saying "my device detects heart attacks" gets the FDA involved and makes everything ten times more expensive...

Well the watch isn't measuring troponin levels so it's hard to imagine how useful it could ever be at MI detection, especially given the limitations of a poor contact single lead ECG.

Even if it could check a trop, that's a pretty late indicator. If you're having the big one, you're going to be dead before your troponin spikes.

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#193

Post by scottlamb »

frabbit wrote: post #144
bsaul wrote: post #28

and soon, people will be scared to even consider going for a jog without a device like that on their wrist. The more time passes the more i realize how much the saying « the road to hell is paved with good intentions » is true.

It seems highly likely to me that the Culture of Fear that pervades affluent western societies will exactly lead to what you predict. And those of us that do not wear a permanent tracking device will have some sort of financial (insurance rates) and emotional punishments (peer pressure/blackmail) inflicted on us. Speaking for myself, I'm ready to die when its time. If my body is so weak and knackered that I cannot ev…

I can understand why you'd feel the risk of such an event is sufficiently low that it's not worth buying/charging/wearing a "permanent tracking device", particularly if you also feel it doesn't respect your privacy adequately. And I agree our collective tolerance to risk is going down over time. But I'm curious about this part of your comment:

> Speaking for myself, I'm ready to die when its time. If my body is so weak and knackered that I cannot even go for a bike ride without medical assistance then I reckon it's time to shuffle off this mortal coil and make way for someone else.

This could happen because of a hit-and-run driver or because of some other temporary medical condition; either might be completely resolved with the right treatment. I think a better way to look at it is about your quality of life afterward. If you're terminally ill or of very advanced age with a poor prognosis for recovery, then I can see why you'd want a "do not resuscitate" order, would disable this feature, etc. Otherwise why not get help?

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#194

Post by slg »

fouc wrote: post #167
a3n wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple is probably the best corporate citizen of any company its relative size in history. Ahem ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Tech_Employee_Antitrust_L... They have better PR, arguably better products, and a more likeable CEO than other tech hyper-corporations. But they are fundamentally no different than any other self-aware pile of cash.

"Self-aware pile of cash" is actually quite an intriguing descriptor for corporations. Piles of cash with personhood rights.

It is an inaccurate descriptor in my opinion. The cash isn't making decisions. The "corporation" isn't making any decisions. People are making decisions. Corporations are just groups of people just like unions are groups of people and governments are groups of people. Whenever one of these entities commits some malicious act against someone it is because people decided to do it to other people. Framing it in any other way is just an attempt to make us feel better about the reality of the situation.

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#195

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

You say it’s a non sequitur and immediately restate the necessity to replace a helmet that’s taken an impact.

I don’t reckon that’s how a non sequitur works:

A non sequitur is a conclusion or reply that doesn't follow logically from the previous statement.

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#196

Post by FreakyT »

bonniemuffin wrote: post #122

Tip: the fall detection feature seems to be turned off by default. I just turned mine on. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944

Also of note: Fall detection is exclusive to the series 4 or above, which seems questionable.

(I would be very surprised if the series 3 and 4 have significantly different accelerometer hardware)

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#197

Post by dsfyu404ed »

markstos wrote: post #170

I have crash detection on my Garmin watch. It texted my wife zero seconds after I rode up a steep drainage ditch. I had not crashed.

Imagine the panic some mother is going to have when her two teenage sons get in a car to go somewhere, safely get that somewhere and for whatever reason high-five each other as hard as they possibly can.

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#198

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

webwielder2 wrote: post #90

Why does everyone who praises Apple on HN qualify it with the fact that they don’t like Apple for other reasons? Also, Apple is probably the best corporate citizen of any company its relative size in history.

What’s wrong with saying something like:

Despite thing-X’s flaws it does a good job of outcome-Y?

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#199

Post by jniedrauer »

cbsks wrote: post #182

Well, crap. I have been avoiding smart watches like the plague but this plus the ECG may put me over the edge. My family has a history of heart disease, I commute by bike every day, and I have a young child who I want to see grow up. One of my friends was recently killed in a motorcycle crash. A passerby found them in the morning in some bushes near the side of the road. We don't know what time the crash occurred, or…

If you're in the market for a smart watch, and you're a cyclist, I'd recommend checking out Garmin. They have a massive array of sensors and record very precise data that is aggregated on Garmin Connect. It's been invaluable to me for assessing training effectiveness over time. They make Apple watches look like toys. If you want the latest and greatest, the Forerunner 945 is probably what you're looking for, but the older models can be found for cheap and are still solid watches. If you want emergency alerts, you'll have to stick with newer models though.

Re: Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911

#200

Post by dsfyu404ed »

hprotagonist wrote: post #17
president wrote: post #15

Curious - does Apple Watch call 911 if you flop onto bed and start napping away?

No. You have to really take a hit -- and you have to fail to cancel the 60 second (very loud and annoying) countdown, too.

I can think of a lot of things you can do that will make the portion of your body that the watch is attached to take a really hard hit. How does it not have a high false positive rate?
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