As wearable manufacturers compete to add new health benefits to their devices, one of the holy grails is the ability to easily and accurately measure blood pressure.

Such devices have been around for a few years, and include technology such as an inflatable air cuff built within a smart watch.

An application lodged by Samsung in 2020 for a device capable of measuring blood pressure by pressing a finger against a sensor was granted on October 15, 2024.

“Examples of the wearable device may include a wristwatch-type wearable device, a bracelet-type wearable device, a wristband-type wearable device, a ring-type wearable device, a glasses-type wearable device, a headband-type wearable device, or the like, but the wearable device is not limited thereto, and may be modified for various purposes, such as a fixed type device and the like used in medical institutions for measuring and analyzing bio-information,” the patent states.

 

Wearable for sale on eBay with blood pressure monitoring.

Samsung’s invention covers a display device capable of detecting a photoplethysmography signal using an image display panel and measuring biometric information such as a user’s blood pressure.

“Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an affordable and straightforward optical technique used to detect changes in blood volume within tissue microvascular beds,” said a 2023 report by Kwang Bok Kim from the Digital Health Care R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, and Hyun Jae Baek from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Soonchunhyang University.

“PPG technology has found widespread application in commercial medical devices, enabling measurements of oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and cardiac output; the assessment of autonomic nerve function; and the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease.”

They say that growing demand for “non-invasive, portable, cost-effective technology, along with advancements in small semiconductor components, has led to the integration of PPG into various wrist-worn wearable devices.

“Multiple sensor structures have been proposed and, through appropriate signal processing and algorithmic application, these wearable devices can measure a range of health indicators during daily life.”

Samsung Blood Pressure Monitoring.

In June Samsung said the Galaxy Watch Active2, Galaxy Watch3 and newer models “can be used to measure your blood pressure when coupled with your Galaxy smartphone and a cuff-based blood pressure monitor”.