WEARABLE TECH PROVIDE EARLY DETECTION

University of Sydney researchers have joined an international US-led effort to discover if data from wearable tech like smartwatches could provide an early indication of COVID-19, as well as examine how pandemics change our lives. The DETECT Australia study will determine if changes to an individual’s heart rate, physical activity or sleep tracked through wearable devices could provide an early indication of influenza-like illness, including COVID-19. DETECT will also help determine how mental health and behaviours like exercise, diet, sleep and alcohol intake vary during pandemics. Australian project lead Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney says the study builds on a growing body of research exploring the potential of personalised health data. “Wearable devices objectively track so many elements of our daily lives. What we aim to find out here is if these measures could be used for early detection of illnesses.”