[MWC??] "Wearing Galaxy Ring While Drinking and Eating Late-Night Snacks... Wow"

Healthcare 'Galaxy Ring' Draws Global Attention
Personalized Care Through Connection of Services, Devices, and People
"AI Innovation Is the Only Solution to Healthcare Workforce Issues"

Global attention has focused on Samsung Electronics' smart ring 'Galaxy Ring,' scheduled for release in the second half of this year. On the 26th (local time), at Samsung Electronics' exhibition hall at the mobile expo 'MWC 2024' held in Spain, numerous visitors gathered around the transparent acrylic tube to see the Galaxy Ring.

[MWC??] "Wearing Galaxy Ring While Drinking and Eating Late-Night Snacks... Wow"

On the 26th (local time), the opening day of the world's largest mobile telecommunications exhibition, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, the Galaxy Ring was unveiled at the Samsung Electronics booth at the Fira Gran Via exhibition center in Barcelona, Spain.
The theme of MWC 2024 is "Future First," which signifies that various technologies, industries, groups, and countries must unite and prepare for the future ahead. Photo by Joint Press Corps

The Galaxy Ring is equipped with AI-enhanced healthcare functions such as sleep quality, heart rate, and women's health. The ring weighs in the 2g range and allows continuous data collection with up to 9 hours of use per charge. Samsung Electronics expressed its ambition to improve the health of hundreds of millions of people by connecting the Galaxy Ring with the 'Samsung Health' application service and other devices.

◆ Galaxy Ring weighing 2g that checks your health = Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team at Samsung Electronics MX Division, held a press conference at the 'MWC 2024' mobile expo in Barcelona, Spain, introducing the Galaxy Ring and Samsung's healthcare vision.

Hon Pak explained the background of developing the Galaxy Ring specialized in healthcare, saying, "People want to check their health in an easy, simple, and streamlined way." The Galaxy Ring's lightweight and comfortable wearability is its biggest feature and differentiates it from the Galaxy Watch. He said, "The best data is the data collected over a long time." It features an ergonomic design to ensure no discomfort even when worn 24 hours a day and a battery that lasts up to 9 hours. The Galaxy Ring sizes revealed to the press that day were nine types, weighing between 2.3 and 2.9g depending on the size.

Hon Pak, Head of Digital Health Team, MX Division, Samsung Electronics

◆ Thoroughly checking my health... and even changing behavior = The Galaxy Ring measures the user's sleep quality through four indicators: heart rate during sleep, breathing, movement, and the time it takes to fall asleep. It is also expected to include a 'Vitality Score' feature that indicates how physically and mentally ready the user is to start the day. A booster function that encourages behavior aligned with the user's health goals was also introduced.

Hon Pak shared his personal experience of wearing the Galaxy Ring for three months. "I thought I had a good night's sleep after wearing the ring for 7 hours, but I found that my REM sleep and deep sleep were below the average for my age group. Such sleep patterns can lead to various diseases like dementia. On days when I ate late-night snacks or drank alcohol, I noticed that my heart rate did not drop well when falling asleep. Knowing this changed my daily behaviors."

◆ Improving the health of hundreds of millions... Revealing the 'Samsung Health' vision = The Galaxy Ring is just the beginning of Samsung Healthcare. When connected with the Samsung Health service, which has 64 million monthly active users, and various devices, richer and more in-depth data collection is possible. Hon Pak revealed the goal of connecting 'people to people' to improve the health of billions of people. He explained, "Healthcare is better lived with friends and colleagues rather than alone," and added, "Collected user data is securely protected by Samsung Knox."

Samsung Electronics is actively collaborating not only with domestic and international medical institutions but also with healthcare startups. It has partnered with 'Natural Cycles,' a women's health company that developed technology to predict menstrual cycles based on skin temperature, and 'Calm,' which manages mental health through meditation. It is also cooperating with the startup 'Sambunuiil,' which is developing a smart mattress that induces deep sleep. Hon Pak explained, "The smart mattress detects body temperature changes to create an optimal sleep environment," adding, "It not only collects data through device connections but also solves problems." Samsung plans to expand the healthcare horizon by connecting not only Samsung devices but also partner devices.

Finally, he expressed his belief that AI could solve the problem of medical personnel shortages. He said, "In the U.S., healthcare personnel are increasingly scarce," and added, "The only solution is to expand technological innovation by understanding market needs."