For the first time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a cuffless blood pressure monitor to be used over the counter.
Aktiia’s G0 Blood Pressure Monitoring System — also known as the Hilo Band — already is available in Europe, Australia and Canada. Aktiia, a Swiss company devoted to blood pressure management, says more than 130,000 people use it.
The device will be available to consumers in the U.S. in 2026.
Cuffless blood pressure monitors do not inflate like traditional blood pressure devices. Instead, they offer continuous monitoring of blood pressure, beat by beat, throughout the day.
The Hilo Band is worn on the wrist like a bracelet. It works by providing what’s known as optical blood pressure monitoring: The device shines a light on your skin and measures variations in light intensity that occur as blood flow changes. Readings are then sent to a mobile app.
According to the Aktiia website, Hilo Band users receive one reading every two hours.
The device is not suitable for everyone, though. According to the Aktiia website, it is not recommended for people with certain medical conditions, such as an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), because continuous blood pressure monitoring may be less accurate for such people.
Currently, no details are available about where the device will be sold in the U.S. or how much it will cost. In Canada, however, the retail price is 335 Canadian dollars, equivalent to about 245 U.S. dollars.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48% of adults in the U.S — 120 million people — have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Only 22.5% of them have the condition under control.
High blood pressure costs the U.S. an estimated $131 billion per year, according to the CDC.
Having the condition puts you at risk for chronic conditions that can be costly as well as fatal, such as heart disease and stroke. Indeed, hypertension is the main cause or a contributing cause of more than 686,000 deaths each year in the U.S., according to CDC data.
For more on maintaining good health, check out “7 of the Worst Things to Eat (and Drink) for Your Blood Pressure.”
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