Fitbit owner wear out their watches and fitness trackers mean solar day and night , which gives the company tons of data about their wellness . Fitbit is now launching a report to learn whether all of that information can be used to diagnose covid-19 before any noticeable symptom — include fever and coughing — even begin .
TheFitbit Covid-19 Study , set up today , will compile datum from volunteers that will be used to build an algorithm that could eventually make its direction into a covid-19 diagnostic tool directly on Fitbit devices . Fitbit data is already being used in inquiry being conducted by Scripps and Stanford Medicine as to whether wearable equipment can detect covid-19 . But those studies are n’t being used to build symptomatic algorithm the way the company ’s own study will be .
Fitbit possessor in the U.S. and Canada can sign up for the study in the Fitbit app on their smartphones . The society is looking specifically for mass over 21 who either presently have covid-19 or have go back from the virus , or those who have influenza symptom , to impart data to the study . Those folks will be asked to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms and medical account , and then Fitbit will monitor their data as part of the cogitation .
Photo: Victoria Song (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/can-a-smart-watch-detect-covid-19-1833409102
the right way now , it ’s unclear if a fittingness tracker or smartwatch can notice covid-19 before symptom present themselves , but the studies already underway are examine the link between blood oxygenation point , respiratory rate , and heart pace , among other prosody , to see if those levels change dramatically enough that a gadget could alert you that you have likely contracted the refreshing coronavirus .
Fitbit is also conducting its ownstudy on atrial fibrillation(or irregular heart rhythm ) to see whether its smartwatches can name the disease that lend to one C of thousands of bosom attack and strokes a year . The results of that study will be defer to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of an software program for approval of an aFib diagnostic feature in next Fitbit devices .
Fitbit has n’t offer a timeline as to when they expect to wrap the covid-19 study or publish upshot , or whether they will attempt FDA clearance for a coronavirus diagnostic feature . We ’ve reach out for comment and will update if / when we receive a response . CNBC reportedearlier this week that Fitbit is presently making low - price emergency breathing apparatus and will seek FDA blessing for those equipment soon .
It ’s deserving remark that Fitbit is close to being acquired by Google in a $ 2.1 billion mountain that is wait regulatory favourable reception . Fitbit users will have to decide if the concealment concerns are deserving the deal - off of contributing to a potentially liveliness - economise algorithm .
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