By Quentin Paimparay

The Korean manufacturer Samsung is currently working on a new generation of health-tracking wristbands called “the Simband”. This new prototype will give multiple data on the wearer’s health such as blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, hydration level, amount of carbon dioxide in the blood, gas and glucose concentration and substances carried in the air.

The company has confirmed during a press event organised in San Francisco in May 2014 that developers are currently testing ways to use this innovative wristband as soon as possible. The product will be composed of a thin removable battery which allows people to wear the wristband all day. A motherboard which is smaller than an SD-card will be included in the hardware architecture and the wristband will contain the Simband Sensor Module which can accommodate optical, electrical and physical sensors. The Simband is designed around an interactive software platform known as SAMI (Samsung Architecture Multimodal Interactions). This health platform brings in information from health trackers. Samsung also plans to attach a magnetic battery charger and intends to include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

However, the company admits that they need more equipment to launch the product and that its fate depends on the quality of data gathered. Researchers and startups are already observing interactions among the different data. Furthermore, two important competitors are targeting this market: Apple and Google. Indeed, Apple is working on its own health data platform called Health. We will bring you more about this development soon. Google has already unveiled a prototype which measures glucose levels.

Profits can be very important, that is why each company works hard to develop the most sophisticated product. Thus, Samsung works extensively on the system with partners including Fitbit and Pebble. Fitbit is a company which produces activity trackers and wireless-enabled wearable devices which measure data on the wearer’s health. Pebble is a company which manufactures innovative smartwatches. The main features are: an e-paper display, a vibrating motor, a magnetometer, ambient light sensors and an accelerometer.

Samsung is pioneering this innovative technology and wants to be the first to launch the next-generation of wearable technology. bespoken will give you more information about the project after the Samsung annual developer’s conference which will take place in October 2014.

Have you heard about this innovative wristband and do you think it could improve your lifestyle? For more information, visit http://www.samsung.com/us/globalinnovation/innovation_areas/