Monitoring blood pressure has traditionally required bulky equipment, trained medical professionals and been limited to clinical settings. Readings also tend to take place in response to health problems, or as part of a wider check up, making it easy to miss issues until later.
That’s why taking blood pressure readings continuously can be so valuable, as it provides an ongoing insight into your health and wellbeing over a long-period, enabling you to quickly respond to any issues that arise.
Times – and technologies – are changing. Increasingly, people are looking to monitor their health at home, given that high blood pressure readings tend to appear before associated symptoms. Indeed, high blood pressure is commonly known as a ‘silent killer’ as without taking a test there can be a lack of symptoms before you suffer from a life-altering heart attack or stroke.
People tend to use cuff devices on the upper arm or wrist. However, while these devices can give blood pressure values at a snapshot in time, they don’t always generate the data that’s useful and comparable. They also typically require some preparation, as you’re advised to avoid foods, drinks, exercise, and caffeine for 30 minutes before the measurement – preparation that many are too unwilling or forgetful to carry out.
Wearable technology means you can monitor your blood pressure night and day, which makes it far easier to take measures to improve your blood pressure levels before they get any higher, or in some cases lower.
The Hilo Band and Hilo App (formerly Aktiia) is designed to make blood pressure monitoring more accurate, convenient and accessible. The device is worn on the wrist, and provides a consistent data stream on your blood pressure.
How the Hilo Blood pressure monitor works
Hilo’s Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM) technology uses optical sensors to receive photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals from the arteries in the wrist. The shape of the PPG waveform contains information about blood pressure, and the OBPM algorithm strips out the ‘noise’ to convert the signals into systolic (pressure when the heart beats) and diastolic (pressure when the heart rests between beats) readings, along with your resting heart rate.
The accuracy of blood pressure monitors is validated under the ISO 81060-2 standard, which stipulates that a product must be tested against a trusted reference device, like an arterial line, an arm cuff and a stethoscope, and a volume clamp on the finger. In one clinical trial the Hilo blood pressure monitoring device performed within the ISO accuracy standards for systolic and diastolic measurements, as well as for measurements taken across multiple body locations. It was awarded the CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device in December 2020.
Accuracy through comparison
To ensure the Hilo Band works properly you need to set up and maintain the device. When first used you need to make a comparison with an electronic upper arm cuff, which is provided with the product. This needs to be repeated monthly to ensure the band continues to give an accurate reading.
The Hilo blood pressure monitor is the only device available on the market that constantly collects data and compares it with a monthly reference value.
Why continuous blood pressure monitoring is important
Continuous blood pressure monitoring using a wristband has an edge on traditional methods, as cuff-based readings can cause inaccuracies.
‘White coat hypertension’ is one such phenomenon, where you record a falsely high reading due to the anxiety or stress of taking your blood pressure in a medical setting, as opposed to at home.
Cuff readings can give different readings depending on the size and positioning, meaning there can be a significant amount of human error.
In addition, cuff-based devices may struggle to accurately capture the blood pressure of those with irregular heart rhythms or arrhythmias.
Given that cuffs only give you a snapshot of your blood pressure at a given time, the accuracy may be affected by the time of day you take a test. For example, blood pressure can experience a ‘morning surge’ as your body prepares to start the day, which could skew readings.
Accuracy through aggregation
Hilo’s continuous blood pressure monitoring allows for the 24/7 capture of blood pressure variations, providing a more nuanced and accurate understanding of your levels.
Plus, it can level-out a host of factors that can affect your readings throughout the day – particularly around eating, drinking or smoking habits.
To use the analogy of driving a car, traditional blood pressure methods are like taking a measurement via a speed camera, whereas Hilo is more like monitoring your speed for the full duration of your journey.
The Hilo Band provides a more detailed picture of blood pressure patterns and fluctuations, which can help health professionals make more informed decisions about treatment plans and lifestyle recommendations.
Accuracy plus convenience
As well as being accurate, the Hilo App makes keeping tabs on blood pressure levels more convenient. The app helps visualise blood pressure readings, which in turn can motivate lifestyle changes, something we’ve dubbed ‘the Hilo effect’. While the watch tracks changes in blood pressure over time, the app helps make sense of the data, so blood pressure monitoring becomes a day-to-day routine.
The optical signals from the bracelet are checked by the app before being processed and returned by Hilo’s cloud-based algorithms, ensuring the data is up to date and trusted. If regularly synchronised, the app quickly updates with the latest data, offering near immediate access to blood pressure information. If users don’t sync regularly meanwhile the bracelet can store 30 days of sensor data.
Reviews have highlighted that readings from the Hilo device can occasionally vary, though the deviation is within acceptable limits. In future it’s hoped that users will no longer need to carry out a comparison with the arm cuff, as Hilo continues to refine the product.
While it’s healthy to have access to blood pressure data at your fingertips, you need to make sure you still take other regular health checks with healthcare professionals, including blood pressure monitoring.
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Conclusion: Accuracy for the Future of Healthcare
The Hilo blood pressure monitor is helping to reshape approaches to blood pressure monitoring and its accuracy has been rigorously tested to meet international standards.
By continuously monitoring your levels, the Hilo blood pressure monitoring device can offer a more comprehensive, nuanced, aggregated and accurate view compared to traditional methods.
With the convenience of the Hilo device and app, you can take control of your health, mitigating future issues and improving your quality of life.
So, as we move towards an era of personalised, connected and digitised healthcare, devices like the Hilo solution will play an increasingly pivotal role.
Disclaimer: If you have hypertension and you plan to start blood pressure exercises, we encourage you to speak to your healthcare professional.
Sources
High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer, Uniprix Pharmacy, https://www.uniprix.com/en/tips/1/health/hypertension-pay-attention-to-hypertension, (Accessed July 2025)
Canadian Task Force of Preventative Care, Hypertension—Measuring blood pressure the right way, https://canadiantaskforce.ca/tools-resources/hypertension/poster-for-clinicians/ (Accessed July 2025)
Hilo Band, https://hilo.com/ca/blood-pressure-monitor/ (Accessed July 2025)
A. Vybornova; E. Polychronopoulou; A. Wurzner-Ghajarzadeh; S. Fallet; J. Sola; G. Wuerzner (2021). Blood pressure from the optical Aktiia Bracelet: a 1-month validation study using an extended ISO81060-2 protocol adapted for a cuffless wrist device. Blood Pressure Monitoring, 26 (4), 305. https://doi.org/10.1097/MBP.0000000000000531 (Accessed July 2025)
Aktiia’s Hilo wrist-mounted blood pressure monitor gains CE mark. Cardiovascular news. https://cardiovascularnews.com/aktiias-wrist-mounted-blood-pressure-monitor-gains-ce-mark (Accessed July 2025)
Slowing the Surge: Can Timing of Exercise Help Reduce Unhealthy Spikes in Blood Pressure?, University of Guelph, https://www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/2025/05/slowing-surge-can-timing-exercise-help-reduce-unhealthy-spikes-blood-pressure, (Accessed July 2025)
Hilo is managing all your energy with one easy app, Hilo, https://www.hiloenergie.com/en-ca/our-service/application/ (Accessed July 2025)
J. Sola; D. Perruchod; M. Cortes; J. Pandit; M. D. Lobo; G. Wuerzner; N. D. Fisher; J. Shah (2022). Abstract P304: Persistent Use Of Aktiia 24/7 Blood Pressure Monitor Is Associated With Lower Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Patients. Hypertension, 70, 1. https://doi.org/10.1161/hyp.79.suppl_1.P304, (Accessed July 2025)
