What you need to know
- Samsung filed a US patent on April 18 for “continuous detection of atrial fibrillation using PPG-to-ECG signal translation.”
- The patent describes a generative AI model that interprets heart rate data as ECG waveforms.
- Samsung, Apple, and Fitbit watches have passive irregular heart rhythm notifications that prompt you to take active ECGs.
Many smartwatches spot check for atrial fibrillation (AFib) using an ECG sensor, but continuous AFib data is not possible without a medical monitor. Last month, Samsung patented a plan to change that by using a generative AI model for future wearables like the Galaxy Watch 7.
The US patent, “System and Method for Continuously Detecting Atrial Fibrillation Using PPG to ECG Signal Translation,” was first discovered by Wareable and would “translate PPG signals into corresponding ECG waveforms.”
Samsung won FDA approval last year to passively detect heart arrhythmias using Galaxy Watches, and Fitbit, Apple and Withings are doing the same. However, this method can only detect a problem and ask you to take an active ECG measurement to confirm.
Samsung’s patented PPG-to-ECG method gives you (hypothetically) more meaningful data at all times, increasing the likelihood of catching serious heart conditions like arrhythmias and heart failure in advance.
The patent explains that “traditional models” can only rely on “long-term relationships between PPG heart rhythm data and likely ECG results.” With its GenAI models, Samsung claims to create a “first-order Markov relationship” between them for better accuracy.
Samsung’s patent acknowledged that using generative AI “may introduce false information that impacts the outcome of AFib detection.” The plan is to solve this problem by “incorporating prior knowledge in the form of probabilistic graphical models” so that it is “robust to noise,” i.e. irrelevant or misleading information.
Samsung’s generative AI plan could make your heart health data available to Google, as it is typically based on Gemini AI. We will need to confirm upon receipt whether this poses an issue from a data protection perspective.
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Samsung even describes a “fusion mechanism” between actual ECG readings and ECG waveforms created by GenAI to better translate future PPG data into actionable ECGs.
Additionally, Samsung’s patent is far too technical for a layperson to properly analyze, as detailed equations show the correlation between PPG and ECG data.
What’s important for Galaxy Watch owners is that this Galaxy AI feature will likely be available on the Galaxy Watch 7 and other future wearables, making it the Android smartwatch to beat for anyone worried about your heart health.
Apple received FDA approval last week to call Apple Watches a “medical device development tool” for AFib detection (via 9to5Apple), so this patent could even help Samsung on the playing field once it’s implemented and tested for accuracy.
We’ll see if the upcoming Galaxy Ring – which will have its own PPG – could take advantage of this feature. Additionally, we’re curious to see if Samsung has any other GenAI tricks to improve the health metrics of its Galaxy Watches.