What you need to know
- Samsung announced that through its collaboration with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea its Galaxy Watch 6 has displayed the ability to “predict” fainting spells.
- The company says that the Galaxy Watch 6 with a PPG sensor can detect faints roughly five minutes in advance with 84.6% accuracy.
- Samsung adds that it plans to further advance the level of preventative care features on its wearables in the future.
Samsung announces that its Galaxy Watch has achieved a major milestone in its efforts in “preventative” health features.
Today (May 7), Samsung revealed in a press release that through its collaboration with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea, its Galaxy Watch has shown the ability to “predict” fainting spells. The achievement was made with a Galaxy Watch 6 during a VVS (vasovagal syncope) test. Samsung says that in working with the hospital, it equipped a Galaxy Watch 6 with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor.
The purpose was to capture the user’s heart rate variability to then run it through an AI algorithm. Samsung reports that this method identified that the user was going to faint “up to five minutes in advance.” While not 100% accurate, the post says the watch could do so with 84.6% accuracy, but with a clinical sensitivity of 90%.
Android Central’s Take
Achieving something like this is cool on its own. What I want to see next is how this would play out in everyday life. What systems will come online for the watch to help the user? Think of taking a hard fall. Your watch recognizes this, checks on you, and if no manual input is detected, an ambulance is called. To detect faints, maybe your watch will inform you to take a seat or initiate a call right away. I’m just guessing, but hopefully this makes it to our wrists in the future.
The hospital’s Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology was involved in this collaboration, stating, “Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes.” Both sides realize that fainting isn’t necessarily life-threatening. However, it’s the result—the fall—that could pose a severe risk of injury for the person.
Samsung says that achieving this level of prediction is “crucial” for its preventative feature outlook in wearable health. Speaking of, there are plans for Samsung to expand the health monitoring capabilities of its wearable devices, such as the Galaxy Watch. There are hurdles Samsung would have to clear, but we could see a future where Fainting Prediction is the Galaxy Watch’s newest feature.
Take care of yourself
Preventative Care was a highlight among many for the Galaxy Watch 8. When discussed, the feature primarily focused on the user’s heart health, thanks to its sensors. Samsung announced that the Watch 8 could detect “premature heartbeats” using Ectopic Beat Detection. The goal here is to help users avoid or detect signs of arrhythmia. Vascular Load is another Preventative Care feature, capable of detecting the level of stress on one’s heart.
If high, users would be informed to make important lifestyle changes, such as getting more sleep, managing their stress, or changing their diet. Most recently, Samsung finally rolled out its long-awaited Blood Pressure monitoring on devices ranging from the Galaxy Watch 4 to the Watch 8.
