Article · AI translation
Thanks to IT Home readers lous and 咩咩洋 for the tip!
IT Home reported on November 13 that, according to a list published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on November 3, Samsung has been granted a patent for a Galaxy Watch smartwatch that could detect the wearer's “visceral fat” by combining data from multiple sensors.
The patent, titled “Method and System for Estimating Abdominal Fat,” describes a way to assess abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat on a portable device. According to the patent, the approach could make measurements less complex while improving the accuracy and speed of the estimates.
Unlike a standard body fat percentage measurement, this technology focuses on “visceral fat.” Subcutaneous fat lies beneath the skin, while visceral fat mainly surrounds organs in the abdominal cavity and usually requires clinical imaging equipment such as MRI or CT scanners for reasonably accurate measurement. Although some smart body fat scales provide estimates, their accuracy is limited.
Samsung's patent proposes adding ultra-wideband (UWB) radar to the watch. The device would transmit signals toward the abdomen and receive the reflected waves, then combine them with the Galaxy Watch's existing bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data and basic information such as weight, height, age, and sex to estimate abdominal fat area and visceral fat levels. IT Home includes the relevant patent diagram below:
Samsung has equipped Galaxy Watches with BIA sensors since the Galaxy Watch 4, enabling measurements of body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, BMI, and other metrics. If the patented technology is implemented, a UWB sensor would be a key hardware addition and could become a major health-related upgrade for the next-generation Galaxy Watch.