Wearable Technology and COVID 19 and COVID 19 Connected devices have a key role to play in an era of and COVID 19 pandemics by Igor Tovberg, Director, Product Marketing, Altair Semicon- ductor (A Group Company) Monitoring is vital in the detection chain, and reaction time is critical for prevention. Enterprises, airports, and cities would surely benefit from monitoring devices for citizens, and healthcare facilities would benefit from the ability to monitor remote patients. Timely discovery of outbreaks could prevent many new dangerous virus- es in the future. For personal, medical, or environmental monitoring, Altair’s ALT1250 ultra-low power, compact, secure, and highly integrated cellular IoT chipset enables slimmer devices with long battery life, which can remain continuously connected - reliably connecting people in ways previously unobtainable. All without the need for a or home WiFi network.

Igor Tovberg is the Director of Product Marketing at Altair Semiconductor (A Sony Group Company), where he oversees Global Product Marketing and the creation of new business opportunities. He has a vast Product Marketing experience at the telecom and semiconductors industry, including 12 years of hands-on background in hardware and software designs with , digital, and power systems. Igor holds a Master's degree in Management of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

Technology has a history of helping to track and treat viruses. And, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, people are rightly asking themselves how new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and Big Data can be employed to slow down the proliferation of pandemics and avoid a future global health crisis. In this article, I describe how connected medical devices could help. Monitoring trends with Wearables

Wearable technology, wearables, fashion technology, tech togs, or fashion electron- ics are smart electronic devices (electronic device with micro-controllers) that are worn close to and/or on the surface of the skin, where they detect, analyze, and transmit information concerning e.g. body signals such as vital signs, and/or ambient data and which allow in some cases imme- diate biofeedback to the wearer. data (including data quality[4]) through the consumer electronics with the populariza- internet with a manufacturer, operator, tion of the smartwatch and activity tracker. Wearable devices such as activity trackers and/or other connected devices, without Apart from commercial uses, wearable are an example of the Internet of Things, requiring human intervention. technology is being incorporated into since "things" such as electronics, Wearable technology has a variety of navigation systems, advanced textiles, and software, sensors, and connectivity are applications which grows as the field itself healthcare. effectors that enable objects to exchange expands. It appears prominently in

North America | 2020 . 21 Wearable Technology and COVID 19

Accelerating the speed of reaction

Monitoring is vital in the detection chain, and reaction time is critical for prevention. Enterprises, airports, and cities would surely benefit from monitoring devices for citizens, and healthcare facilities would benefit from the ability to monitor remote patients. Timely discovery of outbreaks could prevent many new dangerous viruses in the future.

Solution

For personal, medical, or environmental monitoring, Altair’s ALT1250 ultra-low power, compact, Millions of wearable devices have been patients’ stats to their health care provider secure, and highly integrated cellular IoT deployed globally. Activity and heart-rate from any location, regardless of WiFi/BLE chipset enables slimmer devices with long sensing are becoming a baseline feature in coverage. battery life, which can remain continuously every fitness band and smartwatch, with connected - reliably connecting people in data being continuously sensed and upload- Connected out-of-the-box cellular-based ways previously unobtainable. All without the ed into the cloud. Would this data be useful devices are freeing doctors from relying on a need for a smartphone or home WiFi network. in predicting a spreading epidemic? patient’s ability to set up the LAN/PAN connection by themselves. In conclusion Indeed, a recently published study by Scripps Research Translational Institute in Quarantine compliance with smart cellular According to Bill Gates, in any crisis, leaders The Lancet Digital Health analyzed such IoT wristbands have two equally important responsibilities: data and found that resting heart rate and Solving the immediate problem and keeping it sleep-duration data collected from The general population can wear smart from happening again. wearable devices could help inform timely wristbands as a health monitor. With an and accurate models of population-level emphasis on the small size and long battery It’s clear that IoT technology, and specifically influenza trends. Sensing and analyzing life, Cellular IoT offers reliable connectivity medical devices, have an important role to more physiological factors would improve for smart wristbands, with autonomy from play in the containment and treatment of the speed and accuracy in the discovery of paired . Recently, the Hong Kong outbreaks like COVID-19. epidemics. Government has deployed smart wristbands to monitor city residents quarantined inside I genuinely believe that IoT can be fully Changes in patient care habits their homes. harnessed to control and potentially prevent the next global pandemic. Isolation is one of the preventive actions being taken to stop the virus spread, as exposure to an infected carrier could prove fatal for people with a weakened immune system.

Now, more than ever, health stats relating to virus symptoms can be sent to health care providers without patients having to visit their clinic and risking exposure. mHealth

Connected devices such as thermometers, blood pressure meters, inhalers, glucose meters, or other personal health monitoring devices will play a significant role in protecting people’s lives.

Cellular connectivity through the CAT-M or NB-IoT network can ensure a secure and reliable countrywide link for the delivery of

North America | 2020 . 22