PNOĒ is preparing to launch its new PNOĒ 2.0 mask on October 1, with the key change being the ability to conduct a metabolic test independently. According to the company, users can put on the mask, press a button, and breathe for eight minutes to obtain measurements including maximum oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) and other metabolic metrics, without the need for a trained operator.
PNOĒ, based in Malden, Massachusetts, with operations in Athens, is targeting gyms and wellness centers that want to offer breath tests to their customers. The device’s current version requires a trained staff member, limiting the locations where it can be used. The company believes self-operation could enable deployment in gyms that do not have specialized staff, and perhaps in pharmacies as well.
What does the device measure?
The device analyzes the amount of oxygen consumed by the user and the carbon dioxide exhaled during breathing. PNOĒ says the test captures 23 vital metrics, including VO₂ max, resting metabolic rate, and metabolic flexibility, meaning the body’s ability to switch between burning fat and carbohydrates.
These measurements are not a new technology; exhaled-gas analysis has been used for decades to measure cardiorespiratory fitness, but it has traditionally been associated with sports laboratories and hospitals using large, expensive equipment. What is new in PNOĒ’s offering is the combination of a portable device with software that converts the results into training- and nutrition-related guidance, according to the company.
Smaller design and shared use
PNOĒ 2.0 is smaller and less complex than its predecessor, with fewer components, which the company says improves reliability. The device was designed in collaboration with Design Group Italia in Milan after numerous iterations to develop a metabolic testing device that users could operate themselves.
For use by multiple people, the electronic components detach from the silicone mask and straps. This allows the owning organization to share the hardware, while each user keeps an individual mask.
What changes in practice?
Self-operation could broaden the use of VO₂ max measurement from laboratories and premium health programs to more conventional gyms and wellness centers. PNOĒ sells the device only to businesses through a monthly subscription ranging from $400 to more than $1,000, which includes the hardware, software, training, and marketing materials. The company links the results to the services offered by the purchasing organization, such as suggesting training or wellness services based on the test.
Several companies and institutions use the current device, including Equinox, Four Seasons, Red Bull, the NBA, the Mount Sinai health system, and the Restore Hyper Wellness chain. PNOĒ says approximately 85% of its business comes from the United States, while it is expanding in Europe and through partners in Latin America and Asia.
Regulatory and market limitations
Despite the clinical nature of the metrics, PNOĒ emphasizes that the device has not received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that it does not provide medical recommendations. The company classifies its product as a wellness device, not a diagnostic tool; therefore, according to the description provided in the source, a doctor cannot prescribe medication based on its results.
The device also faces competition from Apple, Garmin, and Whoop watches and devices that estimate VO₂ max from heart-rate data, as well as devices such as Lumen that analyze breathing to estimate fat and carbohydrate burning, in addition to traditional metabolic-analysis equipment used in laboratories and hospitals. The company says it has 110 employees, has become profitable, and is growing by more than 100% annually, with plans to raise Series B funding within six to 12 months.
certi.news reading: The main practical value of PNOĒ 2.0 is not the invention of the principle of breath analysis, but the removal of dependence on a trained operator and the lowering of the threshold for deploying the test within commercial businesses. At the same time, the scope of its health benefits remains limited by the device’s status as a medically unapproved wellness tool, while future diagnostic claims are still, according to the company, several years away and face regulatory obstacles.