Samsung is working on a way to enable its wearable devices to detect early signs of dementia.
The South Korean tech giant recently held its First Look event to kick off CES 2026, with one particularly interesting development on the wearables front.
Samsung has announced that its wearable devices, including the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Samsung Galaxy Ring products, will soo be able to register “subtle changes to mobility, speech and engagement that can be indicative of long-term cognitive changes.”
According to Samsung’s Vice President and Head of Digital Health, Praveen Raja (via Android Authority), the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring will be able to detect things like slurred speech when users interact with the company’s Bixby assistant.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
These wearable devices will also be able to pick up on slower movement from the wearer, as well as the way that they interact with other smart home devices.
It’s intended as an early warning to seek medical help rather than a full blown diagnosis.
This feature was previous tipped to be coming under the umbrella of a new “Brain Health” feature, which is said be in the final stages of development.
A report from South Korea’s Chosun Biz claimed that the feature would also include a brain training element aimed at lowering the chance of developing dementia. Samsung Knox will ensure that any sensitive health data is handled locally, rather than on the cloud.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.