As a doctor with experience in both a hospital and in Korea’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Sean (Sungjee) Kang saw evidence of obesity, poor posture, inactivity, and overeating. He wanted to develop a wearable technology that could help, but he was unsatisfied with wrist-worn solutions.
From 2014 to 2016, Kang worked as a creative leader at Samsung, where he developed an idea for a smart belt within the company’s internal, incubator, the Creative Lab. That product, called WELT for “wellness belt,” has sensors and an accelerometer embedded within the buckle of a leather belt that can track waist circumference, posture, gait analysis, and movement.