Samsung has developed a new Galaxy Ring smart watch with a glucometer

Samsung, as part of its program to integrate healthcare functions into its devices, announced a new product - Galaxy Ring. This is part of the company's larger plan to provide users with a comprehensive picture of their health through a variety of sensors placed on the body and in the home.

According to Samsung executive Hong Park, who is overseeing the initiative, the goal is to create a system that will provide continuous health monitoring.

In healthcare, a key area of development is the creation of sensors for monitoring blood pressure and blood glucose levels that can operate without direct contact with the user's skin. Such technologies will be especially valuable for people with diabetes. Hong Park noted that Samsung is investing heavily in developing non-invasive glucose monitoring methods and hopes that similar technologies will hit the market in the next five years.

Samsung is also working on the Galaxy Ring, which is planned to be released before the end of 2024. The device will be available in a variety of colors and sizes, and will integrate activity and sleep tracking and, in the future, additional health monitoring capabilities. Smart rings provide an alternative for those who prefer not to wear a watch but want to monitor their health indicators and sleep quality.

Samsung is considering various options to improve its blood pressure monitoring technology, with the overall goal being to create a system that will last longer without the need for external calibration. On the other hand, Apple plans to introduce a hypertension detection feature into its smartwatches, which will not require calibration but will not provide accurate readings. The watch will alert users to possible high blood pressure, but will not give specific numbers. Apple has a history of incorporating medical technology into its devices, although it has faced some challenges, including a legal dispute with Masimo Corp. that forced it to remove the blood oxygen monitoring feature from the Apple Watch.

As for the price and compatibility of Samsung's Galaxy Ring, it has not yet been determined. As with the Galaxy Watch, the Galaxy Ring likely won't be compatible with Apple's iPhone.

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Samsung is investing heavily in developing a blood glucose monitor that doesn't require blood draws or skin pricks. Developing non-invasive glucose monitoring methods is a complex task that Apple has been working on since 2010, and such a product is not expected to hit the market for several years.

Hong Park, head of mobile digital health at Samsung, opined that traditional blood pressure readings are not as meaningful as they only show a range of normal and abnormal values. Park mentioned that both Samsung and other companies, including Apple, are looking to rethink the importance of blood pressure in terms of cardiovascular disease risk.

Samsung is exploring new ways to monitor health, including using different sensors in future versions of its headphones. One approach is to measure body temperature and heart rate, based on the assumption that the ear is closer to the heart than the wrist. In this way, data collected from the ear can be combined with data from the wrist and the environment to provide a more complete picture of the user's health.

Park also noted that mixed reality headsets could be the next frontier in healthcare. Apple is expected to launch its first product in this segment, Vision Pro, next week priced at $3,499. This move could open up new opportunities for health monitoring and healthcare delivery through mixed reality technologies.