Samsung has been offering a heart rate sensor in its Galaxy flagship smartphones for the last few years. In the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the company has added an advanced optical sensor to the heart rate monitor to enable blood pressure measurements directly from the smartphone without any external hardware.
Jointly developed by Samsung and UCSF
To harness the potential of this new optical sensor, Samsung, in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has announced the launch of the My BP Lab smartphone app for blood pressure and stress research. The My BP Lab app leverages the optical sensor built into the newly-announced Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ to provide users with richer and more accurate information about their health. The jointly developed app uses data from the sensor to offer personalized insights for improving daily health.
When users open the My BP Lab app, they will be invited to join a three-week research study by the UCSF. The study will track stress and how it affects users' wellbeing. Those who participate in the study will have to report on their sleep, exercise, and diet, along with using the Galaxy S9’s optical sensor for blood pressure measurements throughout the day. In return, users will gain personalized and on-demand information about their stress and blood pressure levels. The study aims to optimize My BP Lab to provide “contextualized and scientifically informed feedback.” The study also improves the accuracy of the BP readings with real-world data from thousands of users.
The program is limited to the United States, and users must be eighteen years or older. It goes without saying that users also need to have the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to participate in the program. The app will be available in the Google Play Store on March 15.
