Samsung Electronics Supports 'Digital Optometry Devices' Using Used Galaxy Phones... Expands to 4 Countries

EYELIKE™ digital optometry device introduced at the 2019 Samsung Developer Conference (SDC)

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Samsung Electronics announced on the 8th that it will expand support for its ‘digital ophthalmoscope’ developed using used Galaxy phones to India, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea starting this year, following Vietnam.

Samsung Electronics’ digital ophthalmoscope was developed in 2017 as part of the ‘Galaxy Upcycling’ initiative in collaboration with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei Medical Center. It can diagnose various fundus (the part visible when looking inside the eye through the pupil) diseases that cause blindness. Galaxy Upcycling is a project that converts used mobile phones into Internet of Things (IoT) devices, implemented since 2017 to promote resource utilization and a circular economy.

Samsung Electronics has been distributing various equipment to provide early diagnosis opportunities in areas lacking medical facilities. Since starting device development in 2017, in 2018, it supported portable digital ophthalmoscopes equipped with the ‘I-Like’ platform (developed jointly by Samsung and Yonsei Medical Center) in Vietnam, contributing to protecting the eye health of over 19,000 people. In 2019, it distributed 90 digital ophthalmoscopes to Vietnamese medical staff, continuing its ‘Eye Health Guardian’ activities. This year, the service area will expand to four countries, and the scope will broaden to various health fields beyond ophthalmic diseases.

Samsung Electronics replaces used Galaxy smartphones with low-cost digital ophthalmoscopes, reducing electronic waste while providing innovative solutions to medically underserved areas. Notably, about 35% of the materials used in the ophthalmoscope cases are recycled.

Professor Sangchul Yoon of Yonsei Medical Center said, “While developing diagnostic devices at a price level universally usable in developing countries, we learned about Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Upcycling activities,” adding, “By integrating the optical technology of Galaxy smartphone cameras and artificial intelligence technology into our research, we were able to expect performance comparable to expensive professional medical fundus cameras.”

The digital ophthalmoscope can diagnose the fundus by combining the ‘I-Like’ platform with a used Galaxy smartphone. When medical staff take fundus images with the camera, the artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm within the smartphone analyzes the photos to provide a preliminary diagnosis of eye diseases. Subsequently, ophthalmologists at secondary medical institutions make the final diagnosis, confirming whether the patient’s lesions are major blindness-causing diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or macular degeneration. Furthermore, the diagnostic data is stored and analyzed in the app and server, which can be used as data to understand the eye health status within the local community.

Seonggu Kim, Executive Director of the Sustainability Management Office at Samsung Electronics’ Wireless Business Division, said, “Galaxy Upcycling is a smart solution that repurposes unused electronic products for new uses,” adding, “Samsung Electronics will contribute to enabling everyone to enjoy a sustainable world through technological research.”