SHARP launches Karada Mate Watch with HEALBE calorie-tracking tech
The health-focused smartwatch uses FLOW technology to estimate calorie intake and hydration without manual food logging.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
SHARP Corporation has launched the Karada Mate Watch, its first health-focused smartwatch, with technology from HEALBE Corporation built in to estimate calorie intake and hydration automatically. The launch points to a broader shift in wearables, as electronics makers push beyond step counts and workout tracking toward biometric analysis tied to physiology.
The Karada Mate Watch uses HEALBE’s patented FLOW technology, which is designed to analyze signals from the body rather than depend on users logging meals or entering water intake. Health insights from the watch are shown in SHARP’s Karada Mate app.
For consumers, the notable feature is the absence of manual food logging. Most calorie-tracking tools still require users to enter meals, scan bar codes or estimate portions, which can limit accuracy and long-term use. HEALBE says FLOW instead estimates calorie intake and hydration status through physiological signal processing and bioimpedance analysis.
The companies are positioning the integration as a digital-health wearable play rather than a general-purpose smartwatch feature. SHARP is bringing the technology into a consumer device under its own brand, while HEALBE supplies the biometric analytics engine behind the automatic measurements.
HEALBE develops wearable health-monitoring technology and related analytics for tracking personal health metrics over time. Its platform is built to estimate calorie intake, hydration, physical activity and other measures tied to the body’s energy balance, according to the company.
The Karada Mate Watch also gives HEALBE a route beyond its own hardware. The same underlying technology is already used in the HEALBE GoBe U smart band, a U.S.-available wearable that tracks calorie intake, hydration, physical activity, sleep, stress and neuroactivity without manual food logging, the company says.
Smartwatch makers have spent years adding sensors and software for heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, stress and activity. The next phase of competition is increasingly centered on whether devices can turn continuous signals into useful health estimates without asking users to supply much of the data themselves.
That makes SHARP’s use of a health-focused smartwatch with FLOW technology a notable commercial test for automatic calorie and hydration estimation. If consumers accept the feature, it could encourage more wearable makers to add physiology-based analytics alongside familiar fitness and wellness measurements.
HEALBE says its technology is protected by international patents and supported by clinical studies. The company also says SHARP’s adoption of FLOW reflects rising demand for digital-health tools that can produce automatic insights from continuous monitoring.
The announcement gives SHARP a health-centered entry in the smartwatch market and gives HEALBE a higher-profile electronics partner in Japan. The companies did not disclose pricing or broader rollout details in the announcement.