The electronics giant now has a prototype for yet another device in the wearables category.
Ram Fish, the vice president of digital health at Samsung, was spotted at a San Francisco event, showing of a prototype of the Simband, which is a conceptual model for a new form of health tracking wearable technology wristband that is currently in the works at Samsung.
There have already been a large number of players within the health and fitness tracker market due to popularity.
Among all of the categories in wearable technology, it is in health and fitness that it has managed to take off at the greatest rate. There have been many different guesses as to why this is the case. Among them, one of the primary explanations is that these devices are practical and are affordable for the average consumer, particularly when compared to smartwatches which are easily two to three times more expensive…or more.
While pedometers have been around for ages, Samsung and other wearable technology companies aim for more.
Although the technology for pedometers has changed over the years, the basic concept has been around for a while. However, in the latest wearables, these trackers are meant to bring much more value to consumers, such as the intensity of a workout, the number of calories burned, and even more complex information such as biofeedback. Many consumers would also like to measure things such as vital signs – heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, hydration, and others, for example.
The Simband is designed to provide biometrics just like that, such as temperature and heart rate. Ram Fish didn’t hesitate to show curious event attendees the device, which features a square face and black body. He was reported to have appeared highly enthusiastic about this new mobile tech as he spoke before the San Francisco crowd.
The device on the health and fitness tracker revealed real time vital signs such as the fact that his heart had been beating at a rate of 87 beats per minute (which is about healthy considering the situation and environment) and his temperature. That said, he also switched screens on this open sensor platform based wearable technology device to be able to show trends, such as the variability of his heart rate and other forms of data that were being tracked and recorded.
The report credits the Asia Pacific’s ability to hold onto the top position for so long to its rapid and massive adoption of smartphones. That allowed it to take an early lead and maintain it until this year. That said, it will likely slip into second place behind the West before this year comes to a close.