Samsung has expanded its smart TV platform to include streaming apps and gaming platforms, but at this year’s CES it’s looking to bring healthcare to the big screen. A new Samsung Telemedicine app that allows sick people to get home care on their TV.
Once people choose from a list of symptoms and enter how long they’ve been sick, the app will “display relevant available doctors”. Samsung will then create a link between the doctor and the patient at home. The company says its service will “usually” connect a doctor “within 60 seconds.”
Samsung telemedicine app on the company’s smart monitor
David Katzmaier/CNET
Once connected, the doctor will be able to “carry out an examination by videoconference via the application” using a camera attached to the television. The app can also integrate with other devices beyond the TV, including Samsung’s own Galaxy Watch. Once the review is complete, Samsung says users will not only be able to rate their experiences, but also schedule a follow-up appointment, have a prescription filled remotely, including having it “delivered right to their doorstep, all via the app on the screen. ”
Read more: Samsung QLED TVs boost brightness and add removable camera
New to its latest line of Neo QLED TVs, OLED TVs and smart monitors, Samsung has created an optional detachable camera that will give TV owners “the ability to monitor their own health without invasive physical diagnostics”. The camera takes advantage of a “computer vision technology” called remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) which “evaluates vital signs by detecting changes in facial skin color caused by heartbeats.”
Using this technology, the company says, the camera will be able to measure “five key vital signs – heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and stress index” while sitting on your couch.
While both ideas are impressive in theory, Samsung hasn’t provided many details beyond those bold ambitions, including how it finds doctors or whether it partners with insurers. As with a number of other flashy CES announcements, no pricing or availability has been announced for the camera or telemedicine app. We hope to get more details soon.
