Samsung SDK suite aids health wearables development

  • October 15, 2024
  • Steve Rogerson

A software development kit (SDK) suite from Samsung supports researchers creating healthcare innovations using the South Korean firm’s sensor technology and Samsung Health platform.

The complete package of sensor, data, accessory and research stack components is accessible to partners, developers and researchers.

The sensor SDK provides developers with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor algorithm on the Galaxy Watch, empowering them to explore sectors of health services and create products and services. The BioActive Sensor measures a diverse range of health metrics including heart rate, skin temperature, ECG and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

An update features continuous access to photoplethysmogram (PPG) infra-red (IR) and red LED sensor data for the first time. This will help enhance health services related to blood oxygen level (SpO2) to improve sleep quality and beyond. The upgraded BIA now provides additional measurements – magnitude and degree – expanding on the existing eight indicators, including skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass, to present more precise body composition analysis to offer deeper insights into overall physical health.

Starting this month, the Data SDK lets developers use integrated health data gathered from Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Ring, smartphones or even third-party devices to create digital health innovations. Data SDK provides access to health metrics on the Samsung Health app – including sleep, exercise, blood pressure, food intake and blood glucose levels – analysed by its algorithm. These streamlined insights generated by Samsung Health help developers enhance their productivity when developing the healthcare services.

With Accessory SDK, developers can integrate compatible third-party heath devices, such as blood pressure monitors, fitness devices, bike sensors, heart rate monitors and glucose monitors, through the Samsung Health app. This makes it easier to view health status information in one place without activating separate third-party apps, promoting a seamless and simplified experience and expanding the ecosystem for end-to-end health management.

Research Stack is an open-source project that aims to expand the digital health research ecosystem. Research Stack creates a flexible and versatile research environment, by providing the mobile and wearable app SDK, web portal and backend services, to support all stages of the research process, from recruitment and surveys to progress tracking and results monitoring.

The recently updated Research Stack has a toolset developed based on feedback from research institutions and their experiences implementing complex, large-scale studies. Additionally, the forthcoming 2.0 version will directly integrate Sensor SDK and Data SDK from the Health SDK suite. Research Stack has already been used by institutions as part of their research and discovery processes.

To learn more about the Samsung Health SDK suite, visit developer.samsung.com/health.