Oura smart rings will be used at hospitals for early detection of COVID-19.
The hardware startup, Oura, is collaborating with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct the UCSF TemPredict study. The study will monitor vitals signs and body temperature in front-line medical workers through a smart ring device. This could provide a crucial means of slowing the spread of the coronavirus in hospitals.
Oura’s study will involve 2,000 healthcare staff at the UCSF Medical Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, who will begin wearing Oura rings this week. Along with healthcare workers, the hardware firm has also implored their 150,000 something users to make their data available to assist in building an early-detection algorithm.
With this collected data, two important things could take place. Firstly, those showing physiological changes that correlate with the infection could take rapid action to quarantine themselves for the necessary timeframe. Secondly, the changes, recovery time and compound effects of COVID-19 could be examined to facilitate crucial planning, treatment and prevention if a second wave were to occur.
[Featured image: ŌURA]