Samsung is working to develop a glucose monitoring method that doesn’t involve needles and a blood pressure checker that allows for continual checking, Bloomberg reports.
“If we can do continuous blood pressure and glucose, we’re in a whole different ballgame,” Hon Pak, the head of Samsung’s digital health team, told the publication. The work is part of the tech giant’s move to add health features to its devices, including the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung already offers health-tracking tools on its devices, but its work to create sensors allowing for continuous blood pressure tracking and glucose monitoring could be an important breakthrough, Bloomberg notes, given the competitive landscape. Apple has been working on a glucose reader that doesn’t require users to prick their skin since 2010.
“I think [continuous blood pressure and glucose] is where everyone is trying to get to. We’re putting significant investment toward that,” Pak said, noting he hopes the company can bring some form of noninvasive glucose monitoring to consumers in five years. “We are looking at everything from miniaturization to the various different technology platforms that can do some type of glucose monitoring or anything in between,” Pak said.
Both Samsung and Apple are seeking to improve their blood pressure monitoring methods. While Samsung’s smartwatches can measure blood pressure, they don’t offer continuous monitoring and require calibration. On the other hand, Apple is reportedly working to add a detection feature to its smartwatch telling users when their blood pressure increases.
While Pak didn’t note a specific timeline for either health feature, he did say the Galaxy Ring will hit the market before the end of the year. It’ll be available in several sizes and colours but might not be compatible with the iPhone. Samsung teased the ring at the end of its Unpacked 2024 keynote, which revealed the Galaxy S24 series.
“The ring represents that community of people who want health tracking that is more comfortable and less obtrusive,” Pak told the publication. “It’s meeting a need of a specific population of people who want to track and measure, but in a different way.”
Samsung is also examining adding different sensors to its earbuds, possibly part of a new way to measure heart rate and body temperature.
The company’s end goal is to use sensors on the body and in the home to show users a full picture of their health, Bloomberg reports.
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Source: Bloomberg
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