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Smartwatches, including Apple Watch may be able to detect signs of Covid-19 before you know you are sick, a recent study found.
In a study called “Warrior Watch,” researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center found that the Apple Watch is able to detect small changes in a user’s heart rate, which may indicate that they have contracted Covid- 19 up to seven days before developing visible symptoms. .
Specifically, the study analyzed a metric called heart rate variability (HRV) – the variation over time between each heartbeat – which is also a measure of how a person’s immune system is functioning. Participants wore Apple watches equipped with special apps that measured changes in their HRV.
“We already knew that markers for heart rate variability change as inflammation grows in the body, and Covid is an incredibly inflammatory event,” said Dr Robert Hirten, assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine of New York and author of the study. CBS. “It allows us to predict that people are infected before they even know it.”
A similar study conducted by Stanford University found that 81% of Covid-19 positive participants wearing a variety of smartwatches – from Apple, Fitbit, Garmin and others – were told of an irregularity in their HRV until ‘to nine days before the onset of major symptoms.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of managing the global pandemic has been identifying people who contract Covid-19 but remain asymptomatic, which means they have no symptoms but are still contagious (and transmit therefore unintentionally the virus).
Studies like these have found that seemingly mundane consumer technology could play a big role in the future management of the pandemic by making it easy for people to identify the first signs of invisible symptoms.
“Developing a way to identify people who might be sick before they even know they are infected would really be a breakthrough in the management of Covid-19,” said Dr Hirten. “This technology allows us not only to track and predict health outcomes, but also to respond in a timely and remote manner, which is critical during a pandemic that forces people to stay apart.
Personalized Covid-19 Laptop
A company called NeuTigers is even developing a custom laptop dedicated to the early detection of Covid-19.
Recognizing that symptoms can be detected by the humble consumer smartwatch, the company used Princeton University research to develop an artificial intelligence product called CovidDeep, which can help educate people in clinical environments. and nursing homes about their risk of transmission.
Called Empatica E4, the patient monitor wearable takes a variety of regular skin, heart rate and blood pressure readings with the sole purpose of quickly detecting symptoms of Covid-19. The patient data is then transferred to the CovidDeep system, which detects the virus at a rate of 90%, which is more accurate than your typical store entrance temperature screening.
When these research developments will reach the hands (or wrists) of the general public remains unknown, but companies are working quickly to bring their results to market. NeuTigers, for example, is committed to producing an in-house app that could work with Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, and many other smartwatch brands.
Could this mark a major milestone in the global fight against Covid-19? As vaccines begin to roll out around the world, the next priority must be early identification of infection. Your smartwatch might soon become more than a boring reminder to take your steps.
Via CBS News
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