Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced Samsung Health Stack 1.0, a breakthrough in digital health research, at the annual conference and exhibition of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2023, held from April 17^th to 21^st in Chicago.

Developed by Samsung Research and Samsung Research America,[1] the Samsung Health Stack is an all-in-one open-source project that aids digital health research by enabling researchers to easily build apps, backend servers and analysis tools for wearable devices based on the Android and Wear OS operating systems.

Advancements in smartphones and wearables have the potential to revolutionize healthcare research and the development of data-based biomarkers. However, utilizing these devices for research often requires new mobile health apps and services. This requires medical researchers to invest significant amounts of time and money in fields that may be unfamiliar to them, creating obstacles to the expansion of innovative technologies.

Samsung developed the Samsung Health Stack to help overcome those obstacles. The project’s included App SDK,[2] web portal and backend system make system construction simpler, enabling researchers to focus on their research. Developers can build necessary applications quickly and easily, while participants can rest assured that the data they provide is being managed securely.[3]

“The Samsung Health Stack, which aims to make it easier and safer to acquire digital health data, will lower the barriers between medical researchers and digital technology experts, serving as a foundation for innovation in the digital health industry,” said Yunsu Lee, Vice President and Head of Data Intelligence Team at Samsung Electronics. “By promoting the development of digital health services, we hope to ultimately improve the quality of life for people around the world. We also hope that the Samsung Health Stack, being an open-source project, will be helpful to many people in the field, and we welcome the participation of interested developers and researchers.”

When conducting studies with wearables on conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, the Samsung Health Stack allows researchers to simplify the data collection process by entering only relevant information into the web portal.

Applications developed with the App SDK can support frequent communication between researchers and participants, leading to better research outcomes. Making the process faster can enable researchers to take on more varied and proactive healthcare projects, helping to create an environment where consumers can enjoy a healthier life.

Since unveiling an alpha version at the 2022 Samsung Developer Conference (SDC), Samsung has steadily advanced the Samsung Health Stack, releasing the beta version in March of this year. HIMSS 2023 attendees will get a chance to preview version 1.0, which is scheduled for release in June.

Samsung Health Stack 1.0 improves on the alpha version’s research introduction, participant onboarding, wearable data collection, and basic survey functions, and its security and stability have been enhanced for reliability in actual healthcare research. In addition to supporting basic data collection, Samsung Health Stack 1.0 offers an activity task feature that tracks clinical participants’ progress on specific research-related tasks. The survey feature, which enables researchers to acquire data directly from participants, has also been enhanced with a dynamic survey function that can reflect the purpose of the research and researchers’ intentions based on participants’ responses, enabling follow-up actions to be taken afterward.

By enhancing the usability of research management tools, Samsung Health Stack 1.0 enables researchers to focus more on research design. It also provides several methods to offer participants relevant information to minimize delays. The documentation provided to developers has also been significantly improved to make it easier to build research systems.

Visitors to Samsung’s booth at HIMSS 2023 can experience the Samsung Health Stack’s new features through a mobile app created using the App SDK. They can also experience the process of conducting healthcare research and collecting data with wearables using the mobile app, integrated wearable devices, and web portal. Researchers who contributed to the Samsung Health Stack’s development will be present at the booth to explain the utilization methods and technical details.

Although it is still in the early stages as an open-source project, many healthcare companies are considering utilizing the Samsung Health Stack. Startups such as SALTED[4] and All Round Doctors[5] are collecting data for research purposes and have considered using that data to provide healthcare services. It is expected that the Samsung Health Stack will be used in various fields in the future.

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[1] Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

[2] Visit https://developer.samsung.com/health/s-healthstack for more information and download.

[3] Samsung Health Stack provides data management capabilities to ensure data separation and storage, encryption, and anonymization.

[4] Provides digital insoles and applicable services; has worked with Samsung since 2022. Visit https://www.salted.ltd/eng/main/index.html for more info.

[5] Provides digital therapeutics solutions to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy; has worked with Samsung since 2022. Visit https://ards.co.kr/ for more info.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. held its annual Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) today in San Francisco, bringing together developers, creators and designers to explore seamless, connected experiences powered by Samsung.

During the event, Samsung shared more about its commitment to creating simplified, game-changing customer experiences, including the company’s updated vision for SmartThings as it evolves from a connectivity platform to an enabler of smarter lifestyles. From deeper integration with Bixby to seamless connectivity with Matter-compatible devices, SmartThings is creating a richer, more open world that empowers all users to streamline their connections and their daily lives.

“At Samsung, we continuously innovate our devices, platforms and services to be simpler and more convenient. I am proud to share the next generation of our work, like SmartThings, to further our collaboration with partners and developers,” said Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “As technologies become more complex, we will always search for ways to make life easier, more connected, and more flexible, so our consumers can focus on what matters most.”

Connecting Platforms and Devices with Calm Technology

Samsung’s vision of seamless connectivity is inspired by the philosophy of Calm Technology – where devices instantly work together, so consumers can save time on setup and get right into the experience. To realize this vision, Samsung reimagined SmartThings and its connected services and partnerships, including Samsung’s Hub Everywhere, extending its capabilities to the entire smart home with audio and visual data as well as SmartThings Energy, SmartThings Pet and SmartThings Cooking. Samsung also partnered with Philips Hue to integrate Philips Hue Sync right into Galaxy devices so smart home lighting can match with music.

The seamless experience will extend beyond Samsung’s ecosystem through SmartThings’ integration with Matter and Samsung’s membership in the Home Connectivity Alliance. Google and Samsung have worked together to enable users to find and link their devices across platforms by building multi-admin feature on Matter devices. The collaboration will bring more devices and users into the connected home in the future.

Bixby has been integrated more deeply with SmartThings, a tool for developers to build more intelligent voice user interface experiences. As Samsung’s representative voice assistant platform, Bixby has evolved to become the on-device AI solution able to control individual Galaxy devices, as well as the cross-device experience throughout the Samsung ecosystem. With the new Bixby Home Studio, developers can now build differentiated, customized experiences for the SmartThings platform. In addition, Bixby will be even more widely available to users with support for Latin American Spanish, starting in November.

As the smart home is becoming more advanced, Samsung is introducing a new security paradigm, enabling Samsung devices to protect each other. Samsung Knox Matrix^[1] is a private blockchain based platform that turns eligible Samsung devices into a shield to protect users’ entire device ecosystem – from Galaxy devices to TVs and home appliances. Plus, users can customize personal privacy settings with the new Security and privacy dashboard, which scans for vulnerabilities, recommends security updates, and gives users data management options to keep privacy and security top of mind.

Personalized Services for Better Experiences

In the past year, Samsung TV Plus — Samsung’s free, ad-supported streaming TV and video (FAST) platform available on Samsung Smart TVs^[2] and mobile devices— reached 100% growth in viewership^[3], and projects three billion hours streamed by the end of the year. To build on this momentum, Samsung TV Plus has expanded its offering by adding partnerships with Lionsgate and Vice Media, providing 8K video on demand. Samsung TV Plus has also gone through a redesign, to reflect its extraordinary variety of content with more than 1,600 channels across 24 countries. Samsung TV Plus is the premium choice for a seamless ad experience, where stream stitching makes ad playback simpler than ever.

After 10 years of service, Samsung’s Tizen operating system (OS) continues to offer best-in-class user experiences. The Samsung Gaming Hub brings better, faster and more convenient access to gaming on Samsung Smart TVs, provided by industry-leading partners, such as Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Utomik and Amazon Luna. Samsung Gaming Hub bridges expertise in hardware and software to integrate features like AI Upscaling and multitask functions to make gaming on Samsung Smart TVs an immersive, optimized experience.

Tizen OS is also expanding to offer NFTs support with partners like Art Token, laCollection and Nifty Gateway. For B2B customers and developers, Samsung is providing B2B APIs specific to industries and use cases like Syncplay, which allows content to be synchronized and played in multiple signages. Tizen is also introducing SALT, a new content conversion solution to display the highest-quality HDR10+ content on supported TVs.

Your Galaxy, Your Way with One UI 5

By introducing the new One UI 5, Samsung has empowered users to easily customize their device’s look and feel, while enhancing productivity and providing amazing experiences across devices and platforms. One UI 5 brings more personalized experiences with custom-built Modes and Routines, and a Dynamic Lock screen that displays multiple visuals on your phone, your Galaxy Watch and other One UI 5 devices. With the new Bixby Text Call feature, Bixby Voice will answer calls on your behalf and share typed messages with the caller, speaking aloud as if you had answered. One UI 5 also introduces new daily health solutions to help track health and wellness in one place. This includes the Samsung Privileged Health SDK, which enables developers to build apps that leverage the BioActive Sensor on the Galaxy Watch^[4].

Future-Forward Investment and Research

Samsung Research is looking beyond today’s horizon to innovate for a better tomorrow, full of relentless innovation and open collaboration. Samsung Research is making its robot arm manipulation code available on GitHub, enabling academics, researchers and developers to examine new ideas in robotic manipulation.

The team at Samsung Research was also inspired by the new wellness features Samsung has introduced, particularly on the Galaxy Watch5. To find new use-cases leveraging these features, Samsung Research is working with universities and healthcare institutions that will explore areas like heart health, stress, blood pressure, lung health and neuroscience. As a result, Samsung is offering a full stack SDK – the Samsung Health Stack – which will jumpstart research into important health fields and spark new development.

Samsung invites developers, creators, partners and more to join in on its commitment to open collaboration and seamless experiences.

For more information about the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2022, please visit developer.samsung.com.

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^[1] Starting as early as late 2023, Samsung Knox Matrix will be initially available on selected Samsung devices. Support for other manufacturers’ products will follow later.

^[2] Samsung TV Plus is available for selected Samsung Smart TVs only.

^[3] Comparison between viewership from September 2020 to August 2021 and viewership from September 2021 to August 2022.

^[4] Available on Galaxy Watch4 series and Galaxy Watch5 series.