Rings are now a thing


Move over smart watches. Smart rings are the next big thing.

Samsung formally, albeit briefly, announced the Galaxy Ring at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in January this year in California.

It was only a teaser, as you can see by the short video from our Facebook page.

Matthew Wiggins, Head of Samsung Research America’s Health Solutions Lab, talked about the upcoming vision of Samsung Health and at the same time introduced the Galaxy Ring, giving an exciting glimpse of Samsung’s brand-new, powerful and accessible health and wellness device.

Likely features of the Galaxy Ring are a heart rate monitor, blood flow monitor and monitors for other vitals. It will also have a sleep tracker – given that you are more likely to sleep wearing a ring than any other wearable.

Naturally, it will interact with other Samsung devices such as your smartphone and smartwatch, as well as the Samsung Health app.

Galaxy Ring will also be available in eight varieties with a likely launch date in the second half of this year.

Oy! Welcome to the light

Smart rings are nothing new.

In 2013 a health technology company in Finland, Oura Health Oy was founded and developed the Oura Ring, a smart ring used to track sleep and physical activity.

The logic behind the Oura Ring is as logic should be – simple. Your ring finger provides the most accurate reading for over 20 biometrics like heart rate, body temperature, blood oxygen, and more.

Simple logic. Complex technology

Oura Ring is made of titanium: one of the strongest metals on earth. Durable, lightweight, and water resistant.

The operation of the Oura Ring is based on infrared LEDs. The light from the LEDs is reflected through the skin and the changes in the reflection are analysed by an algorithm developed by the company. This allows the heart rate and heart rate variability to be determined. Oura's sensors capture the wearer's biometric data at significantly higher frequency than wearable products from competitors such as Apple Inc. and Fitbit. The device can also measure body temperature and menstrual cycle. The battery is said to last for a week on a single charge.

USA Today described the Oura Ring as “an absolute marvel of modern wearable technology”. In 2020 it was listed as was listed as one of the Time's "100 Best Inventions of 2020".

In March 2022, Oura announced that it has sold more than one million rings.

So, of course, Samsung wants a piece of this action by introducing its own Smart Ring.

And Apple?

New reports say the advanced development and commercialization of a purported Apple Ring as ‘imminent’.  Apple has been filing patents for smart rings for years, dating back to at least 2015.

2024 looks set to be the year that the ‘big two’ step into the Smart Ring ring. 

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