The device belongs to the ever-expanding class of electronic devices (wearable health trackers) that are worn on the body and can use sensors to monitor various functions and changes in the body, such as temperature, heart rate, breathing, etc. The new study shows that such data, combined with a suitable artificial intelligence (machine learning) algorithm, can reveal Covid-19 infection before it becomes noticeable through symptoms.
Researchers from several universities (Basel in Switzerland, McMaster in Canada, Imperial College in London), who published the paper in the British medical journal BMJ Open, according to the Guardian, reported that wearable sensor technology may allow detection of Covid-19 during the pre-symptomatic period.
The researchers used the Ava bracelet, which has been developed to study fertility, indicating the most favorable time to conceive a baby. It monitors a number of physiological indicators (breathing rate, heart rate, skin temperature, blood flow, etc.). Its test, in the case of Covid-19, was conducted in Liechtenstein on 1,163 people up to 51 years old, who were asked to wear the device at night.
The wristbands were then synchronised with a smart phone app, in which participants recorded any activity that could affect Ava's readings, such as alcohol consumption, drug use, etc. Furthermore, they all had regular Covid-19 antibody tests or molecular tests. Finally, Covid-19 disease was confirmed in 127 people.
It was found that thanks to the combination of the data from the wristband and its analysis by a computer algorithm, two out of three (68%) who were infected with coronavirus were correctly and timely identified, about two days before the onset of the first symptoms. Typical Covid-19 symptoms usually take a few days after infection to appear, during which time the unsuspecting carrier can infect others.
According to the researchers, wearable sensor technology is an easy-to-use and low-cost method that can allow people to monitor their health during a pandemic. The research shows how these devices, in partnership with artificial intelligence, can push the boundaries of personalised medicine and detect disease before symptoms occur, reducing the likelihood of transmission within communities.
Already the new technology is being tested in a much larger group of around 20.000 people in the Netherlands and results are expected later this year.
[/P][BR][BR]Link to the scientific publication:https:/bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e058274
Source: insider.gr
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