The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2024–2025
Withings BeamO (2024): one small wand with four medical checks, built for telehealth
Withings' $249.95 BeamO packs thermometer, oximeter, EKG and stethoscope into one flashlight-size 'multiscope' that streams exam data to a remote doctor.
Withings
What it had to solve
Consumer health checks were scattered across single-purpose gadgets, and video visits left doctors without real exam data. At CES 2024, Withings — best known for connected scales and watches — announced BeamO, a $249.95 'multiscope' the size of a penlight that combines thermometer, pulse oximeter, 1-lead ECG and stethoscope for the whole family.
How it works
At CES 2024 Withings announced BeamO, a $249.95 'multiscope' that measures temperature, takes single-lead electrocardiograms, reads blood oxygen and works as a digital stethoscope for heart and lung health. Physically it resembles the company's contactless thermometers, but inside sit PPG sensors, side electrodes, a piezoelectric disc that converts chest and back acoustics into electric signals, and a second-generation infrared temperature sensor.
Each measurement was already possible at home with separate gadgets; the creative move was condensing all four into one family-shareable device and connecting it to the moment that mattered — the telehealth call. A USB-C-to-headphone adapter lets a user listen to heart and lung sounds, and in telehealth sessions the audio can be streamed directly to the provider. Withings said a body check-up takes under a minute and can flag fever, infection and possible atrial fibrillation.
The ECG and AFib detection required FDA clearance, and Withings' history of delayed clearances made the promised June 2024 launch uncertain from day one. Europe received BeamO in early 2025; following FDA clearance, the device went on sale in the US in November 2025 for $249.95, sold first through Withings' own store.
Why it lands
- It collapses four separate purchases and rituals into one object, changing when a health check happens — during a video call with a doctor.
- Streaming stethoscope audio into telehealth gave remote visits the one thing they lacked: real physical exam data.
- One family-shareable device beats four per-person gadgets, turning a personal health product into a household one.
- It bet that the exam, not the data dashboard, is the moment home health devices should serve.
What it did
BeamO became a symbol of where consumer health hardware was heading and pushed the 'home multiscope' idea into the telehealth conversation. The ECG features needed FDA clearance, so the June 2024 target slipped: Europe received the device in early 2025, and after FDA clearance it went on sale in the US in November 2025 at $249.95.
What you can take
Don't make one gadget smarter; merge the whole ritual. Combining four instruments and connecting them to the professional moment — the remote exam — is what turned a thermometer into something new.
Since then
The Verge noted that Withings has repeatedly announced CES health gadgets whose FDA clearance took far longer than hoped, and BeamO followed that pattern: announced January 2024 with a June 2024 target, it reached Europe only in early 2025. After FDA clearance it launched in the US on November 13, 2025 at $249.95, sold exclusively through withings.com with retail partners expected in early 2026, and bundled a one-month Withings+ trial that includes a cardiologist-reviewed 'Cardio Check-Up.'
Sources
- Withings' latest gadget combines a thermometer, pulse oximeter, EKG, and stethoscope
- CES 2024: Withings Launches 'BeamO' Home Health Scanner
- Withings BeamO: Multifunctional health tracking device now available in US
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