- A new patent has revealed Samsung is working on a unique upgrade to its smart ring
- A future Galaxy Ring could have a new type of built-in temperature sensor
- It would use motion sensors to determine what you're measuring
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the best smart ring going thanks to its excellent health tracking features, but the company is already working on future upgrades, including a temperature sensor that could detect what you're trying to measure when you touch it.
A new patent unearthed by 91mobiles reveals the company is developing a new type of temperature sensor that would rest on the inner side of the ring, and could be used for taking the temperature of various surfaces – at least, determining when you're holding something that is affecting the Ring's temperature reading, like hot coffee.
The Galaxy Ring already features a built-in temperature sensor for measuring internal body temperature, a useful feature that helps power menstrual cycle predictions. However, this new patent reveals an external probe that could come in handy for measuring other things.
According to the patent, a motion sensor could detect movement and help establish what you're trying to measure. Based on how you've moved, the ring can identify what you're trying to measure, and will reportedly be able to distinguish between your own skin temperature and the temperature of another person or an object. The patent also includes visual, audio, or tactile alerts that could notify you of an abnormal reading.
What could Samsung's new smart ring patent mean?
A couple of the patent images indicate some use cases. Notably, it shows a smart ring pressed up against a cup of coffee, possibly indicating you could use a future Galaxy Ring to check the temperature of a beverage to make sure it's safe to drink (or still warm enough to be worth drinking.)
Elsewhere, images reveal the ring pressed on a child's forehead, showing the feature could be used to take temperature readings to check for fever in young children.
It's a very novel idea and one that is surely years away, but also hints at future inclusion of haptic feedback in the Galaxy Ring, or perhaps even a display.
The company has also patented smart gestures on a ring that would let you control your laptop or tablet like Tony Stark, as well as technology for an inner adjustable band that would eliminate sizing problems.
As noted, these are just patents, so don't expect any of these to feature in the Galaxy Ring 2, which could launch as early as this year.
You may also like
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
