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Samsung and the University of Michigan have started a partnership to improve the health features of Galaxy Watch devices. During an eight-month research period, UMich and its Exercise & Sport Science Initiative (ESSI) department will scrutinize the Galaxy Watch.
Health monitoring features are now a vital part of wearables. There are numerous reports that a health tracking feature on an Apple Watch or any other smartwatch has saved someone’s life by monitoring their heart rate or other parameters.
The manufacturers are constantly collaborating with third parties to enhance the accuracy of health features on watches. As the second largest wearable brand after Apple, Samsung is teaming up with the University of Michigan and its ESSI to improve health-tracking capabilities in the Galaxy Watch.
Samsung and the University of Michigan work together to enhance Galaxy Watch health monitoring features
The participants in the quest are challenged in both indoor and outdoor environments. This is because scientists want to gather data in all typical running scenarios. They should run distances between 1.5 to 12.5 miles. The Michigan Performance Research Laboratory (MiPR) analyzes the obtained data.
All participants must wear a Galaxy Watch device during the experiment. The scientists will compare the reference data and the data gathered by Galaxy Watch on VO2 max and sweat loss measurements. Any change in the participant’s weight is also monitored. Finally, Samsung hopes that this academic experiment will help improve the Galaxy Watch’s health-tracking capabilities.
According to Ken Kozloff, the co-director of ESSI, the experiment has already started in the city of Ann Arbor, and local runners are positively contributing to it. “For the Michigan Performance Research Laboratory, the opportunity to work with Samsung and leverage the advanced sensors and health and wellness trackers from one of the most popular smartwatches gives added credibility to our research,” Kozloff added.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic launched with a long list of health tracking features. One of those is a Personalized Heart Rate Zone. This feature can offer five optimal running intensity levels based on the user’s physical capabilities.