Every year Samsung brings together the world’s greatest minds in technology as they roll out the company’s latest developer tools, showcasing how it can make the world a better place by delivering on consumer demands and solving complex social problems.

uSound, for example, developed an app that helps detect risk of hearing loss. It’s all part of Samsung’s effort to encourage companies to innovate and apply technology for the greater good.

From November 7^th-8^th, Samsung will once again host its thought-provoking conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Some of its most inspirational technology partners will be on display including Rehago, Dytective, and uSound.

From inspirational speeches to hands on experience with development tools, thousands of developers will have the opportunity to discover and take part in developing new applications and ground-breaking technologies. Here are just a few of the inspirational companies Samsung is already working with.

Rehago

Virtual reality meets rehabilitation with Rehago’s innovative training system that helps hemiplegic stroke patients, or those suffering with paralysis in half of their body due to stroke, during recovery. The company first came onto the radar at Samsung Electronics Germany’s “Life’s a Pitch” start-up competition in Frankfurt, where they won first place. The competition focuses on new technologies that will develop sustainable solutions for major societal challenges. Rehago has gone through a first prototype pilot test which will later be implemented for both inpatient and outpatient neuro-rehabilitation clinics. SDC attendees can see the project first hand at the company’s booth.

uSound for Samsung

With more than 6% of the world’s population suffering from disabling hearing loss, the Argentina-based company uSound saw an opportunity to help. They designed an app that helps detect the risk of hearing loss and improves quality of life through communication and education for those affected by it. Starting in Jujuy Province, Argentina the company provided access to a simple three-step diagnostic tool accessible from smartphones – entirely free of charge.  Together with Samsung, uSound will work to develop compatible apps, support product development and work towards international expansion.

Dytective

During 2017, Samsung and the Spain-based company Change Dyslexia worked together to help educators and families to detect the risk of dyslexia through the Dytective app. Dyslexia is a learning disability affecting an estimated 10% of population in reading and writing skills. It is often hidden or misdiagnosed and has become one of the main causes of school failure as a result. Using linguistic games, the app was created to detect dyslexia risk in early phases in just 15 minutes. After its launch first in Spain and then Argentina in 2017 as Dytective for Samsung, the campaign reached 80,000 downloads, resulting in more than 7,500 cases of dyslexia risk identified. Now Dytective continues their reach with 150,000 tests achieved so far through Change Dyslexia. Samsung’s partnership with the company was vital in the development of the application and its promotion at launch. Also, in Argentina, Samsung developed an online workshop which brings tools to parents and teachers and improves the education process, recommending technologies for reading and writing through sound, with almost 40,000 students completing the training so far.

Thermal Imaging Camera

Among Samsung’s more unique projects, Thermal Imaging Camera was born in Korea out of the company’s C-Lab, an incubator that helps accelerate start-up companies. Thermal Imaging Camera is a thermal imaging solution inspired by a real-life emergency experienced by firefighter Han Gyeong-Seung. Smoke impaired his vision on a rescue mission, causing him to be unable to see that a victim was left behind in a burning building. Thermal Imaging Camera helps firefighters see in smoke-filled buildings, improving their ability to rescue people in low-visibility situations. Traditional thermal imaging devices were too bulky and expensive to dispatch in real-world missions, so Han approached Samsung Tomorrow Solution, a social contribution contest, to request the development of a small, light, easy-to-use solution that can be attached to firefighters’ masks. Samsung has already donated 1,000 of the cameras to the National Fire Department of Korea and is studying the possibility of international distribution.

To learn more about Samsung’s social contribution, visit https://news.samsung.com/global/category/corporate/citizenship for news on their latest projects.

Technology is dramatically changing our world. As we are in the midst of the digital transformation, mobile and smart devices have become an inextricable part of our lives.

As CMO of Samsung Electronics, I am often asked what technology means for the future of marketing and creativity. Behind this question I believe lies a deep-rooted concern – how will technology transform creativity? Will technology be the downfall or saviour of creativity? The rise in data engineered campaigns has the capability to remove the human connections we all need.

Embracing Change

Technology is, and always was, about change. And change brings challenges. I know this, not just because of my role, but through my personal experiences.

Before joining Samsung, I worked in the beauty industry. Without any background in technology, it felt like I had landed in a foreign country when I made the change from cosmetics to tech 11 years ago.

My role is to use what I have learned to help transform Samsung from a technology-focused, to consumer-centric company. Features and specs, of course, are important. But they only tell part of the story. No matter how fast or powerful a processor is, it only becomes meaningful when its capabilities are weaved into people’s lives.

Creative Catalyst

Samsung’s Relúmĭno is a case in point. Harnessing the capabilities of the smartphone camera and VR devices, the application helps visually impaired people see the world with clarity. With the potential to transform lives, Relúmĭno shows how technology can give voice to millions around the world to narrate their own stories.

When we look at innovations through a humanistic lens, technology can become a powerful catalyst for creativity.

Take 5G for example. With the speed of data transfer that 5G can bring to us, I believe 5G technology could drive an exponential change to our world. 5G will fuel the fourth industrial revolution. When we speak about how 5G will change the way we live, work and play, the story suddenly becomes even more inspiring.

A Brand-New Era

As a marketer at Samsung, I see that technology is writing new rules for creativity on a micro, as well as macro, scale. Brands are changing the way they communicate as new cultural values emerge with technological innovations.

With the proliferation of technology, brands are no longer bystanders in society. They can now make a difference at scale. Samsung’s DYTECTIVE, an app designed to diagnose dyslexia quickly and for free, shows that a simple idea can produce profound results.

As people are better informed and entertained than ever before, they are seeking much more than material comforts, which drives brands to create experiences with a deeper meaning.

Greater connectivity and mobility has also turned consumers from viewers and bystanders, into active participants. This opens a whole new level of relationship between brands and people, in other words, a new dimension of creativity for brands and marketers.

Do What You Can’t

Technology will transform creativity, for the better, by inspiring all of us to achieve the impossible.

When we aspire to enact change and stand by values that seem improbable, we are compelled to find solutions that are truly transformational.

At Samsung, it’s part of our DNA to enact change and stand by values that seem improbable.

Do What You Can’t is more than a slogan. It’s a call to action.

* This editorial is based on YH Lee’s address at Cannes Lions 2018.