Samsung has announced, during the presentation of the new Galaxy Watch Active, that the function to measure blood pressure will be active from March 15 .
The functionality will be obtained through an app developed by Samsung and the Californian University of San Francisco, called My BP Lab. This app is already available in a smartphone version since last May and can be downloaded from the Google Play store.
My BP Lab was developed as part of a research program to collect large-scale data on how stress and emotions affect physiological responsiveness and people’s health.
People can partecipate to a three-week study by activating the app that collects, through questionnaires and phone sensors, demographic data, psychological and personality traits, daily stress and user’s emotions. After the first week, users begin to receive personalized information about their stress levels, emotions and physiological responses in different situations.
More data are collected, more the information become specific and personalized. In addition to personal information, users will also receive information about the best ways to manage stress levels and how this affects their brain, body, aging and performance. After three weeks, users can continue to interact with the application and receive updated and personalized information.
Pressure is measured via the phone’s optical sensor, which requires, the first time you use the app, a blood pressure measurement using a sphygmomanometer to “calibrate” the sensor.
The main question is about the true accuracy of a measurement made with the optical sensor of the phone or watch.
Of course, we will know more after March 15, when the function is activated, unfortunately only in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore and Australia.
Digital-health 