A lot of research across many industries is currently being done around the world to stop the growing number of COVID-19 infections. And according to a report by Engadget, a group of scientists and researchers from Stanford Medicine is conducting a study to be able to predict infections caused by the coronavirus through the data provided by smartwatch technology.
Stanford Medicine researchers worked with Fitbit and Scripps Researcher to conduct a study that aims to detect or predict early symptoms of COVID-19 through the information that will be provided by their smartwatches.
The team of scientists is looking for a way to develop a series of algorithms that can detect if the immune system of an individual is having complications by using smartwatch devices to measure the skin temperature and heart rate. These are known to show if the body is affected by an infection caused by a certain virus.
The team of researchers is expecting that the algorithms being developed will succeed and could help slow down or prevent further infections caused by the coronavirus.
"Smartwatches and other wearables make many, many measurements per day - at least 250,000, which is what makes them such powerful monitoring devices," said Michael Snyder, a professor and the chair of genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine.
"My lab wants to harness that data and see if we can identify who's becoming ill as early as possible--potentially before they even know they're sick," he added.
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According to the report of Stanford Medicine News Center, once the algorithms are created and verified by medical experts, it could help people to monitor their health status.
The smartwatch devices will alert its users if it detects an unusual change in their skin temperature, heart rate or other physiology consistent with the body fighting an infection.
According to Snyder, there's usually a period just before the body develops any symptoms of a cold or flu in which the individual, without showing heavy symptoms, can infect other people. The study conducted by Snyder discovered that there are specific heart rate patterns that can indicate the presence of illness even if the individual is asymptomatic.
Snyder's team of scientists and researchers are currently gathering individuals who can participate in their study.
Wearable devices manufacturer, Fitbit, is partnering with Stanford Medicine to assist the team of researchers in raising awareness of the study and to offer the public an option to participate in the experiment. Fitbit is planning to provide Snyder's research team with 1,000 smartwatches as part of their collaboration.
Fitbit will also be partnering with Scripps research to find out more information about how the coronavirus spreads within a community. This collaboration of the three companies can be a big step towards the fight against the coronavirus.
