Samsung Electronics already has a share in the health and fitness wearable tracker market with its Samsung Gear S2, but the Korean company announced on Dec. 29 that it is going even further than its competitors with the new Samsung Bio-Processor it is currently mass producing. The company also announced that the new processor will be integrated with its wearable devices within the first half of 2016.
The new Bio-Processor seems promising since it offers even more versatile functionality than what the wearable fitness technology currently out in the market has and Samsung hopes that it can be considered in assisting in other healthcare cases.
"Samsung's Bio-Processor, which can process five different biometric signals, is the most versatile health and fitness monitoring chip available on the market today and is expected to open up many new health-based service options for our customers," Ben K. Hur, Samsung's System LSI Business Marketing Vice President said.
Samsung's Current Wearable Technology
Samsung released the Gear S2 with its companion application, the S Health, in 2015, allowing users to monitor their activities and hydration, as well as remind them when they should start moving about after a period of inactivity. A video was also released to assist users in making full use of their Gear S2 to stay fit and healthy.
Watch the video below if you have a Gear S2 but have not fully integrated it into your daily activities yet.
What Is Samsung's Goal For The Bio-Processor?
Samsung calls its Bio-Processor "the industry's first all-in-one health solution chip" since it is not only intended to assist individuals with their fitness goals, the company also aims to develop devices to help healthcare providers by providing more data from patients using only one device.
What Is In The Bio-Processor?
A fully capable and integrated chip housed in only one fourth the size of the actual parts when combined. You have an Analog Front Ends (AFE), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), power management integrated circuit (PMIC), microcontroller unit (MCU) and an eFlash memory all packed in that tiny chip which Samsung will eventually integrate into its future wearable devices. Translation: the processor will allow devices to do more and "sense" more from your body in spite of its small size.
What Does The New Bio-Processor Offer?
"Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), photoplethysmogram (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), skin temperature, and galvanic skin response (GSR)," the press release indicates. These allow future devices to detect body fat and skeletal muscle mass, heart rate and rhythm, skin temperature and stress levels.
What this translates to is that, you don't just get reminded when to stand up and do some exercises or hydrate yourself, your device may also be able to indicate when your workout is actually stressing you out more than giving you relief.
Does It Measure Up To The Competition?
At this point in time when Samsung is still mass producing the Bio-Processor and has not actually integrated it to the company's fitness trackers just yet, it is too soon to determine if it can deliver on its goals and promises. While the Bio-Processor has a huge potential, especially for health care, it still has to be paired with the most appropriate applications that would make use of the data it collects.
For instance, a comment on Samsung's press release said that, if the PGP sensor of the Bio-Chip will be able to determine a wearer's breathing rate, it can also be used to determine and lower stress levels. That is still a big "IF" at this moment, but as Samsung System LSI Business division aims to provide cutting-edge technology to produce efficient processors, we may just see it happen in the near future.
