A person’s heart and breathing rates increase and heart rate variability decrease as a viral infection ramps up. All of these are measurable using a modern-day smartwatch. Researchers at Purdue University are starting a study to see if continuously collected biometric smartwatch data could be used to detect early signs of viral infections, including COVID-19.
Purdue researchers will use algorithms and AI to analyze smartwatch data including heart rate, respiration rate, and heart rate variability. However, other factors (such as exercise) also influence these measurements. But if they can be measured reliably enough with a smartwatch, scientists believe our watch could tell us when we are about to become sick – and even offer suggestions such as “time to rest” to stop of lessen the illness.
100 participants will be used in the Purdue study. Each will be given a Samsung Galaxy 3 smartwatch with a custom physIQ app loaded to collect biometric data. Data collected will also include new EKG functionality introduced in the newer Galaxy watches. The data will be collected for five days and then be used to train AI algorithms for baseline conditions. Then the study will expand and begin adjusting AI learning as viral cases are discovered.
About physIQ
PhysIQ is a leading digital medicine company dedicated to generating unprecedented health insight using continuous wearable biosensor data and advanced analytics. Its enterprise-ready cloud platform continuously collects and processes data from any wearable biosensor using a deep portfolio of FDA-cleared analytics. The company has published one of the most rigorous clinical studies to date in digital medicine and are pioneers in developing, validating, and achieving regulatory approval of Artificial Intelligence-based analytics. With applications in both healthcare and clinical trial support, physIQ is transforming continuous physiological data into insight for health systems, payers, and pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.physIQ.com.
