Every answer, part 18 of 145
Answers 341 to 360 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
Soma Axon, the pod
Is there a way to see what moved a wellness score?
Soma builds that in. Every score in the Soma app shows what moved it: tap one and you'll see each measure against your own usual range. A score only sums up what was measured and what you told Soma, such as how you slept or whether you trained. Tapping the Mind score, for example, shows which measures moved it next to the day's stress peaks and last night's sleep. It's general wellness, and the app isn't ready yet.
How can I tell how much data a wellness trend is based on?
Soma shows it. Body, in the Soma app, reads the trend across all your visits and always says how confident Soma is and how much data each answer is based on. Any figure Soma computes also carries its date, the amount of data behind it and the version of the engine that produced it. It's general wellness information, and the app and the pod aren't ready yet.
From Home, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Is there a body scan that gives me one simple takeaway instead of a wall of numbers?
Soma Axon is built around that idea. The pod shows you one calm number on your way out, and everything else waits in the Soma app, explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value. The app's Today view sums up the day in three scores and one next move. Every score shows what moved it. It's a general wellness product, and the pod is still being built.
Does Soma Axon record video of my face?
Soma hasn't collected anything with the pod yet, because the Soma Axon device isn't available. Its Privacy Policy says that before the pod or camera-based pulse measurement in the app starts collecting, Soma will give a separate notice and ask for explicit consent. That notice will explain, among other things, how long Soma keeps face video and any data derived from it. The pod's cameras are how it reads pulse and breathing, and it isn't a medical device.
From Privacy Policy, Home and FAQ.
How enclosed is Soma Axon?
It's a closed cabin. The drawing on Soma's home page puts the pod at 1.3 m wide and 2.3 m tall, and the closed design is what keeps the light and camera angles the same every week. You'd be inside for a few minutes of standing still, followed by the recovery part. The whole visit is meant to take about as long as getting a coffee. The pod is meant for general wellness, and its first prototype is under construction.
Who greets me when I arrive for a Soma Axon visit?
Someone from Soma welcomes you and asks how you slept, when you last ate and whether you trained, so a short night or a hard session gets noted next to your numbers. At venues that host a pod, Soma trains the staff to run it and to help a member through a visit. Then you change in a private room and step in. Soma isn't medical care, and the first prototype is still under construction.
From Home, For organizations, The same instrument, every week, FAQ and About.
Why do you turn a quarter at a time inside Soma Axon?
So the cameras can photograph your skin all the way around. During the few minutes you stand still, you turn a quarter at a time for the skin photos, and then the recovery part follows. Soma Axon takes those photos at every visit, which gives you dated photos to look back on and to show a clinician if you choose, though Soma won't say whether a mole is harmful. It's a general wellness pod that's still being built.
Do I have to stand still the whole time in Soma Axon?
For the reading, yes, for a few minutes, apart from turning a quarter at a time for the skin photos. Hands on the grips, feet on the plate. The recovery part afterward, with warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath, doesn't need that. Soma Axon's first version is for adults who can stand still for a few minutes, and making it work for people who can't stand is on the roadmap. It's for general wellness, and it's still a prototype.
Can I tone down the recovery part of a Soma Axon visit?
Yes. Soma says you can make any part of it gentler. The recovery part comes after the reading and uses warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath, which Soma describes as being there to help you feel good. It doesn't treat anything. It does use heat and cold, and anyone unsure whether the pod suits them should ask their doctor first. Soma Axon is a wellness product, and the first one is still being built.
Does Soma Axon get hot or cold?
The recovery part does. Soma's FAQ says it uses heat and cold, and the home page drawing labels light, warmth and cool air as the recovery part of every visit, with mist, sound and a slow breath in the mix too. You can make any part of it gentler. The reading itself uses cameras, light and sensors you touch, with nothing ionizing. Soma Axon is designed for general wellness, and no pod is open yet.
Where do I see my full Soma Axon results?
In the Soma app. The pod shows one calm number on your way out, and everything else is in the app, explained in plain words with the margin of error for each value. Its Body section turns your weekly visits into a handful of facts and reads the trend across all of them, saying how confident Soma is and how much data each answer rests on. The app isn't ready yet, and the product is general wellness.
Do I need an iPhone to use Soma Axon?
For the app side, yes. Soma describes Soma Axon as a closed pod plus an iPhone app between visits, and the Soma app needs an iPhone because it reads Apple Health. A watch is optional. The pod does the full read once a week, and the app fills in the days between. Both are general wellness products, and the waitlist will hear when the app is ready and the first pod opens.
Do I need a watch to use Soma Axon?
No, a watch is optional. If you wear one, the Soma app gets more detail about the days between visits, since it reads what your watch saves to Apple Health. Soma describes the two as working together: the pod does the full read once a week, and your phone and watch fill in the days. Soma Axon is a general wellness pod, and it isn't open yet, though there's a waitlist.
Does Soma Axon write anything to Apple Health?
No. The Soma app reads Apple Health with your permission, and access is read-only: Soma never writes anything back, and it reads only the data types you allow. You can turn off that access at any time in the iOS Settings app, under Health, then Data Access & Devices, then Soma. Soma Axon itself is still being built, and like the app it's meant for general wellness.
From Compare, Privacy Policy, Blog, FAQ and About.
Can two people share one Soma Axon account?
No. Soma's Terms say each account is for one person, and you shouldn't share it or add anyone else's data. What one account does give you is reach: it works at every pod, so your own record follows you between venues. At a hosted pod, each member keeps their own account. The pod is a general wellness product that isn't open yet.
From Terms of Use, FAQ and For organizations.
Is the blood test included in a Soma Axon visit?
No, it's an optional add-on. Soma says the blood test will have its own price, separate from the visit. Without it, a visit involves no needle. At pods with an attendant, a few drops from your fingertip go to a partner lab. No prices are published yet for either. Soma is a general wellness product.
How does the optional blood test at Soma Axon work?
At pods with an attendant, the attendant takes a few drops from your fingertip and sends them to a partner lab, and the results reach the Soma app a few days later. Where a state doesn't allow that draw at the pod, you get a kit to use at home instead. It's an add-on with its own price. Soma is a wellness product and isn't medical care, and the pod isn't open yet.
From FAQ.
How do I get early access to Soma Axon?
Through the waitlist. Leave your email there, and you'll be among the first to hear when the pod opens and the app is ready. People on the waitlist are also the first to hear where the first pod opens and what prices will be, which Soma plans to share before the first pod opens. Soma Labs is building the first prototype of Soma Axon now.
What happens to my email if I join the Soma Axon waitlist?
Soma keeps it until it invites you or you ask to be removed, and in any case no longer than 24 months after you joined. It uses the address for waitlist messages such as an invitation, and you can unsubscribe with the link in any message it sends. Soma doesn't sell what it collects or use it to advertise to you. The pod itself isn't open yet.
From Privacy Policy and About.
What's the mission behind Soma Axon?
Soma's mission is Know yourself, love yourself. The first half is the Delphic maxim know thyself (Gnōthi seauton), and Soma added the second half because people tend to look after what they understand. Soma Labs says it's here to make knowing yourself something you can measure every week, at a price a person can actually pay. Soma Axon is the pod built for that weekly read. It's built for general wellness, and the first prototype is still in the works.
From Know thyself, About and FAQ.