Samsung is utilizing Galaxy smartwatches to protect workers from health issues related to heat.

      Samsung is rolling out a new feature for its Galaxy Watches to assist workers who utilize its smartwatches, after replacing a previous one. While standard smartwatches typically remind us if we’ve been sedentary for too long, the Galaxy Watches will now alert users about potentially hazardous heat stress.

      The company has enhanced its Heat Stress Management System targeted at businesses, developed in collaboration with South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor. This system leverages LTE Galaxy Watches and Samsung’s SmartThings Pro platform to monitor outdoor employees during extreme summer weather.

      It integrates environmental data such as temperature and humidity at the workplace with biometric information from the watch, including heart rate and activity levels. Instead of relying on a universal temperature reading, it aims to predict when heat becomes perilous for individual workers. This system is currently operational at a construction site for a new semiconductor manufacturing line located on Samsung’s Pyeongtaek campus.

      The watch can alert managers when employees require a break.

      The system determines the perceived temperature at the site in real time. Once conditions exceed government-established heat thresholds, alerts are automatically generated on a manager’s dashboard. Samsung identifies three critical thresholds: a heat advisory at a perceived temperature of 33 degrees Celsius, a heat warning at 35 degrees, and a severe warning at 38 degrees. These levels align with South Korean government recommendations for pausing work during extreme heat conditions.

      Managers can then transmit heat warnings and suggestions for rest directly to the Galaxy Watches worn by employees. This function transforms the watch into a much more practical tool than merely showing the afternoon weather forecast. It serves as an essential link between environmental monitoring, health data, and a designated individual who can instruct a worker to take a break before the situation worsens.

      It focuses on the individual, not just the weather.

      Samsung has also refined the underlying prediction algorithm in collaboration with researchers from Incheon National University. The updated software takes into account a worker’s height, weight, age, sex, heart-rate patterns, and working environment to assess core body temperature in real time. It subsequently assigns a risk level and issues alerts when necessary.

      Samsung reports that it has worked with the Data Science Research Institute at Samsung Medical Center to validate the algorithm’s predictions against the body’s actual responses under heat stress conditions. This individualized method is significant as different people can react in varied ways to the same heat exposure. Factors such as age, fitness level, workload, pre-existing health conditions, attire, and hydration all influence how quickly someone becomes susceptible.

      There are still concerns about privacy.

      Currently, this system is designed as a B2B workplace solution rather than a Galaxy Watch feature that consumers can download. It also manages personal and biometric data within a cloud-based employer dashboard. Samsung notes that SmartThings Pro has obtained ISO 27001 information-security certification, yet broader implementation will necessitate clear guidelines on employee consent, data access and retention, and how employers can utilize health information. A Galaxy Watch cannot alleviate a construction site’s heat or substitute for adequate shade, water, breaks, and safe working conditions. However, it can assist managers in recognizing when heat is becoming overwhelming for a specific worker.