14 DAY TRIAL // More and more gadgets keep catching fire these days, and the latest in this unfortunate series is a Fitbit activity tracker that exploded not when it was charging, but when it was on the owner’s wrist.
Dina Mitchell from Milwaukee, United States, ended up in the hospital with second-degree burns after her Fitbit Flex 2 burst into flames all of a sudden, with doctors even having to pick pieces of the gadget out of her wound as a result of the explosion.
Although no other details have been provided, it’s obviously believed that the lithium battery is responsible for the incident, especially because similar cases also hit other devices, including the already famous-for-going-boom Samsung Galaxy Note 7, but also several iPhones.
What’s a bit worrying, however, is that the Fitbit wasn’t charging at the time when it caught fire, but was on the wrist of the owner, so it’s a mystery how a device this size actually suffered from overheating - this is in most cases the reason for batteries exploding, but Fitbit says it’s still investigating to determine how exactly the whole thing happened.
No risk of explosion
In a statement for TechRadar, Fitbit says there’s absolutely no reason to worry that your fitness tracker explodes as well, and promises to share more information on this case as it looks into the problem.
“We are not aware of any other complaints of this nature and see no reason for people to stop wearing their Flex 2. We will share additional information as we are able,” the company was quoted as saying.
Fitbit confirmed the incident, though, but reassured everyone that all devices are thoroughly tested before they reach the market.
“We are extremely concerned about Ms. Mitchell’s report regarding her Flex 2 and take it very seriously, as the health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Fitbit products are designed and produced in accordance with strict standards and undergo extensive internal and external testing to ensure the safety of our users,” the firm said.
Fitbit Flex 2 comes with a lithium-polymer battery whose capacity has not been disclosed, but for what it’s worth, the device itself is super-small at only 31.7 x 8.9 x 6.8 mm. This emphasizes the risk posed by these batteries, as overheating could lead to severe injuries to the owner despite the small dimensions of the device.
