Samsung is pushing its Galaxy Watch beyond everyday health and fitness tracking and into the realm of preventive care with personalized wellness coaching and a new blood analysis feature that aims to help people fend off disease and support healthier aging. I spoke with Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung's senior vice president and head of digital health, to get a closer look at what's coming to the Galaxy Watch and how it could change how we think about wearables.
"There's illness, there's cancer, and so many other conditions that are actually preventable," Pak told CNET. "We know those behaviors are important, but in our busy lives, it's often hard to keep them up. At Samsung, our mission is to meet people where they are and help support those healthy behaviors in a meaningful way."
The new tools are expected to debut alongside the next Galaxy Watch in July and include a noninvasive blood test that measures antioxidant levels (or carotenoids), a cardiovascular health assessment, personalized sleep coaching and an AI-powered run assessment with live feedback to help you train smarter.
"What we really think we can do is bring this data about sleep, nutrition, activity and stress, and really contextualize it for the user," Pak said.
At a time when there are a dizzying number of smartwatches and wearables available for consumers to choose from, Samsung aims to stand out by evolving its Galaxy Watch from a passive tracking device into a proactive health monitor. The goal is to help people take control of their health and keep them on track long-term. With more than 68 million people worldwide on Samsung Health, the company hopes to bridge the gap between that brief snapshot of data collected at the doctor's office and the continuous health data collected by wearables that can help paint a more complete picture of your health.
The Galaxy Watch's Antioxidant Index measures antioxidant levels in your body without a blood sample; just your thumb on the sensor. Samsung
Antioxidant detection, no needle needed
Beta-carotene is just one example of the many naturally occurring carotenoids, or antioxidants found in vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes that can help neutralize toxins (free radicals) in the body, according to National Institute of Health. These toxins -- typically caused by stress, poor diet, smoking and aging -- can build up over time and contribute to serious health problems like cancer, heart disease and premature aging. Currently, one of the most common ways to detect carotenoid levels is through a lab test by having your blood drawn.
With a new feature called the Antioxidant Index, the next Galaxy Watch will be able to measure carotenoid levels in the skin instantly without needles or lab work. Instead, you place your thumb on the back of the watch sensor for a few seconds.
"This is a non-invasive way to see how your diet and lifestyle may be affecting your antioxidant levels," Pak said. "We use LED light sensors measuring four different wavelengths to detect beta-carotene in the skin. And we've validated the readings [from the Galaxy Watch] against levels in the blood,"
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