A Panel Discussion Hosted by the University of Michigan Exercise and Sport Science Initiative

I had a great time participating in a conversation about the use of wearables for COVID-19 early detection. The panel was hosted by the University of Michigan’s Exercise and Sport Science Initiative and included members of the sport science industry, academia, and the Department of Defense. We discussed the rationale for and role of wearables in COVID-19 monitoring, their key limitations, ongoing efforts in athlete and military populations, and the practical application of wearables for the general population.

Take-home points:

• We are in the early stages of using wearables for disease detection, but preliminary results from research studies are encouraging.

• Where wearables lack in accuracy, they make up for it by providing lots of data, around-the-clock, from multiple body systems.

• Wearables are not medical-grade diagnostic tools, but they offer an opportunity to identify at-risk individuals early, before they have a chance to infect others, and to triage limited resources like tests to those most likely to test positive.

• There is major buy-in from the Department of Defense, sports organizations, and major industries where having members out sick is costly, problematic, and (for the DoD in particular) a serious national security threat.

Hope you enjoy this lively hour of discussion of all things wearables!