Samsung has partnered with global healthcare company Abbott to deploy Galaxy XR headsets at blood donation events. The Galaxy XR and blood may not seem an ideal combo, but the idea is to use immersive XR experiences to reduce donor anxiety during the process. The two companies kicked off the initiative on June 2 at Samsung Digital City in Suwon, South Korea, in partnership with the Korean Red Cross — marking the country’s first XR-powered blood donation campaign.
Donors who put on Galaxy XR enter a Zen garden-inspired virtual environment, where gaze-based interaction — no controllers or hand gestures required — lets them plant virtual flower seeds. Over three to five minutes, flowers and trees bloom around them, accompanied by music produced in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Samsung and Abbott plan to expand the programme to the United States and Malaysia. A four-day blood drive is scheduled at Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Long Beach, California, from June 15–18. The initiative will also be showcased at the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Congress in Kuala Lumpur, where more than 100 blood bank decision-makers will attend.
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