It will become an indispensable feature for diabetics: Samsung is developing a non-invasive glucose meter
The South Korean corporation is exploring new health monitoring features for its devices, including continuous blood pressure measurement and a non-invasive glucose meter.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
Health monitoring is already a key selling point for smartphones and watches, and Samsung, Apple, and Google use these features to attract and retain customers. A breakthrough in the industry could be the creation of sensors for continuous blood pressure and glucose monitoring (without piercing the skin) – the latter has been developed by Apple for years, and according to preliminary data, it is at the “proof of concept” stage.
“If we can continuously measure blood pressure and glucose, we’ll be in a whole new game,” says Hong Park, head of mobile digital health at Samsung. “We are making significant investments in this.”
Park does not comment on the timing of any of the features, but if we look at the market as a whole, he says that a non-invasive glucose meter could appear in the next 5 years.
“We are looking at everything from miniaturization to different technology platforms that can do some type of glucose monitoring or something in between,” he says.
Last week, Samsung announced the Galaxy Ring, a ring with health sensors that will monitor activity and sleep (with many other features). The product, according to Park, will be released by the end of 2024 in various colors and sizes.
“The ring is designed for a community of people who want to monitor their health in a more convenient and less intrusive way,” Park said.
Samsung hasn’t decided on the price yet, but like the Galaxy Watch, the Ring probably won’t be compatible with Apple’s iPhone.
Samsung smartwatches have long offered the function of measuring blood pressure, but the process is not constant and requires calibration with a standalone meter. Today, the company’s goal is to eliminate these limitations.
Apple, meanwhile, plans to add hypertension detection to its smartwatch later in 2024.
Samsung is also exploring a number of different sensors for future versions of its headphones, including new ways to measure body temperature and heart rate.
