Samsung Shared Its Vision Of The Future Wearable Devices With The Unveiling Of The 'Galaxy Ring'
AInvestTuesday, Feb 27, 2024 4:26 am ET
2min read

At the 2024 World Mobile Communications Conference, Samsung officially introduced its long-rumored smart ring, the Galaxy Ring. The company says that this device can help users better track their health status, including heart rate and sleep monitoring, and will also rate users' daily mental and physical condition.

In an interview with the media, Hon Pak, the head of Samsung Electronics' digital health team, detailed this ring product, developed for the first time by the company.

Pak stated that the device's sensors can read users' heart rate, respiratory rate, the amount of movement during sleep, and the time it takes to fall asleep. Additionally, based on the user's various data, the ring offers users a vitality score, which rates users' daily enthusiasm and work efficiency.

These features can all be accessed through the Samsung Health app, and Pak confirmed that when worn together with a smartwatch, users would be able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their physical and health condition.

Additionally, the Samsung representative pointed out that the company is also studying non-invasive glucose monitoring and blood pressure sensing through its wearable devices. However, the company is still not there yet.

I think we have some ways to go, Pak said when talking about non-invasive glucose monitoring.

Currently, glucose monitoring devices that penetrate the skin are the mainstay of the market, and if a company can develop a non-invasive method, it would become a new market focus.

However, Pak also indicated that while Samsung is currently aiming to boost its positioning in the health sector through diverse devices, the company is exploring other potential use cases for the smart ring. For example, the company is considering adding a feature that allows Galaxy Ring to do contactless payment.

We have a whole team that is looking at that. But I think clearly looking at multiple different use cases for the Ring beyond just health, for sure, Pak said.

The debut of the smart ring demonstrates Samsung's further efforts in building its own product ecosystem. The company now has smartphones and smartwatches, with the Galaxy Ring set to be the company's newest product category. Samsung states that the decision to launch a smart ring is customer-driven.

Our own customers told us, 'I want choice': some want to wear the watch, some want to wear the watch and the ring and get benefit from both. Some just want more simplicity, Pak said.

Therefore, Pak didn't rule out the possibility of similar wearable sensors on future smartphones. Mobile is still very pervasive and so I think there are reasons why we may want to put a sensor on a mobile versus having it on a wearable.

As a current market trend, artificial intelligence was naturally not missed by Samsung. For Pak, AI can help process all the data collected by these devices. His ultimate goal is to make AI provide deeper insights into personal health.

Imagine that large language model, acting as my digital assistant, while looking at the context of my medical records, my physiological data, my engagement with a mobile device, the wearables during all of that ... begins to bring greater insights and personalization opportunities, Pak said.

There's a digital assistant coach in the future because we think that's absolutely needed, the Samsung executive said, our ability to change our behavior becomes much greater.

So we are exploring various different ways in which the human-computer interface will change over time. ... And so we think Bixby with speech represents a significant part of that option. But we don't think it's the only option. But Bixby potentially combined with large language models can be a phenomenal game changer. And we're obviously having that conversation, he said.

However, no matter how lovely the dream, Samsung's urgent task is still to bring this ring to market. Since its debut in a teaser at Samsung's Galaxy S24 conference in January of this year, the exact price and launch time of this smart ring are still unclear.

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