FB pixel

Wearable biometrics employed for health monitoring and advice, work safety

Apple Watch used in heart failure study as Facebook plans smartwatch
 

biometric wearables

Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN) has launched a study to evaluate the effectiveness of biometrics and other data gathered by Apple Watch sensors for early identification of worsening heart failure.

The study applies the new technology to a group of 8,000 heart failure patients already monitored by the UHN, and is intended to provide more precise and timely heart health assessments. The Apple devices will be used with an app to measure Blood Oxygen, with biometrics gathered by health sensors and mobility metrics of participants over a three-month active monitoring study, using an iPhone or an Apple Watch Series 6. Participants will also be tracked over a two-year follow-up period.

“We think that biometric data derived from Apple Watch may provide comparable, precise, and accurate measurements of fitness, prognostic markers and early warning signals, compared to traditional diagnostics,” says Dr. Heather Ross, Division Head of Cardiology, at UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Scientific Lead, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, and this study’s lead researcher.

Dr. Ross is working towards broadening access to health services through digital technologies.

Facebook’s planned Android-based smartwatch will be focused on health, in addition to the social network’s messaging core, The Information writes.

What kind of biometric sensors will be included is unclear, as details are scant, but the new product is planned for a 2022 commercial launch.

Whoop biometrics inform personalized spa program

A different approach to improving health with wearable biometrics is seen in Whoop’s partnership with Four Seasons resort Sensei Lana’i on an Optimal Wellbeing Program, as Spa Business reports.

The luxury resort in Hawaii provides the program as a package of biometric and wellness technologies, which are intended to enable heightened personal awareness and health insights.

A Whoop Strap 3.0 will be used with Sensei’s technology and a blood biomarker diagnostic test, which is used as part of a one-on-one nutrition session.

The collected data will be stored in a Sensei Portal, with biometrics and bespoke health advice updated throughout the program, and available to the guest after departure. The program costs $1,185, but participants get to keep the wearable.

Biometric wearables deployed for light rail safety in UK trial

A trial of wearable biometrics to improve light rail safety by monitoring the fatigue levels of key employees is being hailed as the first of its kind by industry group UKTram.

The new FOCUS+ system for biometrically monitoring fatigue and alerting operators of potential safety issues was developed as part of the Driver Innovation Safety Challenge (DISC) being run by Edinburgh City Council. The Council is a partner in the project, along with Transport for Scotland and the Scotland Can Do Fund.

The system uses a fatigue score generated by biometrics to assess driver health and alertness as green, amber or red, to identify those who should be referred for a health diagnosis. The DISC website notes that a mere 10 percent of road and rail accidents result from mechanical issues.

A preliminary trial has been completed, and data from it used to improve the design of the wearable with a more robust and ergonomic chassis for the current stage.

“The project has already demonstrated its potential to make a huge contribution to further improving light rail safety, and the initial trials provided a wealth of useful data,” explains UK Tram Technical Officer Dan Hill.

“This has enabled our commercial partner, IHF Ltd, to make further improvements to the wearable device and the FOCUS+ algorithms,” Hill adds. “This will help us to better understand the data captured and to identify overall trends.”

Hill says UKTram is looking forward to working with more systems on implementing biometric wearables.

A recent survey from Nymi showed the privacy of biometrics and other personal data is the primary concern employees have with workplace wearables.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Growth of digital wallet use shaking up payment regulations and benefits delivery

Digital wallets are transforming online, offline and cross-border payments around the world, prompting calls for regulatory change in Australis and…

 

Sardine nets $70M in Series C funding for automated fraud prevention platform

Sardine, a startup that employs machine learning for fraud prevention, compliance and credit underwriting, has announced a $70 million Series…

 

Indonesia aims to boost digital ID uptake in bid for greater efficiency

Indonesia is digitizing its civil registration services in a bid for greater efficiency as the country’s citizens enjoy improved convenience…

 

Ondato’s biometric age verification joins NIST leaderboard

Ondato has joined the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology evaluation of age assurance algorithms in the latest update…

 

Digital identity strengthens super wallets, transforming India’s DPI

India’s digital transformation has been accelerated by its digital public infrastructure (DPI), a framework that enables seamless digital services through…

 

AU petitioned over legal ID discrimination suffered by Kenyan minority group

Legal representatives of a human rights group, Nubian Rights Forum (NRF), have submitted a petition to the African Union (AU)…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events