Last Friday, the uSound for Samsung project was officially launched in Purmamarca, Jujuy. The event was attended by Argentinian President Mauricio Macri along with hundreds of people from different communities throughout the Jujuy province. uSound for Samsung facilitates the early detection of hearing loss through a simple three-step process using a smartphone and a pair of headphones.

uSound for Samsung will help give Jujeños access to a simple three-step preliminary diagnosis* that can be done on a smartphone

According to the WHO, over 5% of the world suffers from hearing loss, with estimates showing that more than 3 million people in Argentina experiencing this problem. By encouraging early detection, authorities hope to avoid irreversible hearing loss, encourage learning and promote cognitive development in children, facilitate social inclusion, and raise awareness about hearing loss so appropriate public policies can be made.

The uSound initiative is spearheaded by young entrepreneurs from Jujuy and presents innovation with purpose, allowing for simple and effective technologies to help people detect potential hearing loss using just their smartphones. The app then provides users with a risk report allowing them to take the appropriate action and get further advice from a hearing loss specialist if necessary. The data collected will also contribute to the intelligent allocation of resources for the communities that require them. uSound and the government of Jujuy share an ambitious goal: that this local project will be promoted, developed and spread throughout the world, therefore helping more people and inspiring new solutions in the future.

A resident of Jujuy tests uSound for Samsung

The launch event took place at Los Colorados in Jujuy. The first 300 audiometric tests were conducted, with the total number in the Jujuy province expected to reach 30,000 in the next three months. There was also VR content available which illustrated the difficulties people with different levels of hearing loss experience, enabling guests to empathize with those affected and get a taste of what they go through.

Sang Jik Lee, President, Samsung Electronics Argentina (left), President Mauricio Macri (center) and Governor Gerardo Rubén Morales, Jujuy Province (right) were among the hundreds that attended the uSound for Samsung launch event

During the event, Jujuy’s Governor Gerardo Morales highlighted the work of the young uSound team and recalled their humble beginnings in Tilcara, saying, “From a 4 × 4 room, with great effort this team have created an application that has been recognized by various institutions around the world, including Harvard, demonstrating the best of Jujeño’s entrepreneurship.”**

Sang Jik Lee, President of Samsung Argentina, said, “This project proves that when we work together, we can do the impossible, using innovation with purpose as our guide.”

Ezequiel Escobar, CEO, uSound (right) shows Argentinian President Mauricio Macri (left) how uSound for Samsung works

Ezequiel Escobar, CEO and co-founder of uSound, said, “We held this event at Los Colorados because it connects us with our Pachamama, with our roots and because we wanted to show that it is possible to innovate in Jujuy and make a difference globally. It is in this context that today, together with Samsung and the Jujuy Ministry of Health, we are implementing technology with a purpose. uSound for Samsung is a free mobile tool to detect potential hearing loss that will have an immense scope. Starting in Jujuy with 30,000 tests over the next 90 days, we hope to reach 500,000 users by the end of the year in Argentina and millions worldwide.” **

For more information about uSound for Samsung, visit: http://usoundporsamsung.com.ar

* Not a medical diagnosis

** Translated from Spanish and edited for clarity

And unlike other dieting and fitness apps, S Health is incredibly easy to set up and personalize on your Gear S2. Just follow these tutorials and you’ll be on track to being a healthier you in no time. To begin, open the S Health app from the apps menu on the Gear S2.

How To Track Your Movement

They say variety is the spice of life, and this also rings true when speaking of a fitness regimen. As such, the Gear S2 allows you to manually log fitness activity by type of exercise to allow for more accurate activity tracking.

1. Rotate the bezel until you reach the Exercise screen within the S Health app.
2. Tap the arrow.
3. Select your desired exercise. (For example, tap Walking.)
4. To use location-based services, tap Accept.
5. Touch the target time to adjust it, or rotate the bezel to the right to choose a distance or calorie target—or no target. (For example, rotate the bezel to the right to the distance option.)
6. Tap START.
7. You can review your stats while you exercise. To pause your workout, touch the screen. (Note: Swipe to the right to see Music or Duration, or swipe to the left to see Calories, Speed and Heart Rate.)
8. Tap FINISH.
9. To end the workout, tap the Stop icon.

How To Step to It

Walking may be the easiest way to get exercise into one’s daily routine. Just about anyone can do it. You don’t need lessons or expensive equipment. Though one complementary tool that is particularly useful, not to mention motivational, is a pedometer. Studies have shown that the combination of this step-counting tool and a personal target step goal is particularly effective.

1. In the S Health app, turn the bezel to the Settings menu and tap Settings.
2. Rotate the bezel to the right and tap Step target.
3. Rotate the bezel to set your daily step target.
4. Touch SET.
5. Press the Back button twice, then turn the bezel left to the Steps menu. It will display the number of steps you’ve walked for the day out of your daily target.
6. Tap the number and turn the bezel left to review your steps history.

How To Rock the Beat (Your Heart Beat, That Is)

For overall cardiovascular health in adults, the World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity—exercise that increases your heart rate and breathing—per week. One way to monitor the intensity of your activity is to check your heart rate against the estimated maximum heart rate for your age. The Gear S2’s heart rate monitor lets you quickly check and track yours before, during and after exercise.

1. Turn the bezel to the right until you reach the Heart rate monitor.
2. Tap the monitor icon to start the heart rate monitor. The built-in sensor on the back of the device measures your heart rate.
3. Record your heart rate by selecting a tag that describes your current state. (For example, Resting or After exercise.)
4. To view heart rate history, press the Back button. Then, tap the center of the Heart rate screen. Turn the bezel to navigate recorded history.

How To Stay Hydrated

Proper water consumption is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not drinking enough water can lower your physical and mental performance, and lead to dehydration. Likewise, too much caffeine can cause a variety of health issues, from hypertension and dizziness to anxiety and agitation. As such, monitoring your daily intake of both water and caffeine is of the upmost importance and S Health makes the process considerably more convenient.

1. Turn the bezel until you reach the screen with the water glass or coffee mug icons.
2. Tap the plus sign to track the number of glasses of water or cups of caffeinated beverages you consume.
3. To review your water and caffeine intake, tap and hold down the icon. Turn the bezel to the left to review intake history.

How To Keep Track

When the Gear S2 recognizes that you’ve been moving for a particular amount of time, it will automatically track your increased activity as exercise and encourage you to keep it up with motivational messages. Similarly, it will notify you if you’ve been sedentary for too long and will encourage you to keep moving. In addition to this helpful feature, you can also manually track your exercise by type and time and review your activity levels for the past 24 hours.

1. Turn the bezel to the 24 hour activity screen.
2. Tap the center to see your current activity level. Tap again to see how long you’ve been at that activity level.
3. Then, rotate the bezel to the left to review activity levels for the past 24 hours, along with the amount of time you exercised, the type of exercise and your heart rate based on your input measurements.

*S Health is not intended for clinical or medical use, including diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, alleviation, compensation, cure, prevention or mitigation of any disease, ailment, defect, injury or other conditions.