SAN JOSE, US -- South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and US-based tech giant IBM on Tuesday announced a partnership to develop a platform providing business-to-business mobile solutions based on 5G network and artificial intelligence focusing on public safety.

Their collaboration which was revealed at a Samsung forum held in San Jose, California, will offer governments and businesses around the globe faster and stronger AI-powered mobile solutions for strengthening safety.

They will build a new safety platform based on IBM’s AI Watson-based cloud and which will be delivered through Samsung’s mobile devices, ranging from the Galaxy smartphones and watches to tablet PCs.

The new platform will allow enterprise clients to track people’s vital signs, including heart rate and physical activity, to determine if they are in distress and automatically dispatch help. 



For example, in a 5G network environment, people equipped with Samsung Galaxy smartwatches and phones embedded with biometric sensors will be able to check their vital signs and other important health indicators and share the information with the platform in real time.

The platform will alert emergency managers if there are any changes in these data points, which may indicate the responder may be in danger of a heart attack, heat exhaustion, or any other life-threatening event requiring immediate attention. It transmits the data to emergency managers to provide insights for their decision-making.

According to the International Labor Organization, nearly 3 million deaths occur each year due to occupational accidents. Governments and enterprises have an increasing need to build systems which track the vital signs of workers in remote or high-stress environments.

It is designed to help improve the work environment for police officers, firefighters, soldiers, power plant employees and those working in harsh weather conditions, according to Samsung.

“Together, IBM and Samsung will use the power of IBM Cloud, 5G, AI and edge computing to enable our clients to leverage these advanced technologies to have a greater impact on the way people work, shop and protect their health and families,” said Martin Schroeter, senior vice president of global markets at IBM. 

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)
Korea Herald correspondent