NASA astronauts and employees will be using Fitbit devices as part of a pilot programme that aims to use Fitbit in-app daily check-in and symptom logging to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Google-owned company said there is evidence that resting heart rate data and other key health indicators from wearables have the potential to identify illnesses such as COVID-19 before symptoms emerge. One thousand NASA employees performing mission-critical work at six locations across the U.S. will receive Fitbit Charge 4 devices and access to Fitbit’s Ready for Work Daily Check-In experience’.
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Johns Hopkins’ coronavirus-tracking map has recorded over 107 million cases of the disease globally, leading to more than 2.3 million deaths. Today, many workplaces and other organizations have turned to tech to try to curb the spread of the virus.
This partnership is born out of those efforts. In December, npj Digital Medicine published findings from Fitbit demonstrating the consumer wearables could be key to predicting the onset of illness like COVID-19 by using health metrics like breathing rate, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV).
“The pandemic has underscored the critical role that Fitbit can play in providing much-needed support to help people sleep better, eat better, move more and take control of their health and wellness, as well as the potential to identify illness from specific health metrics, which is especially important now during the COVID-19 crisis,” Amy McDonough, managing director and general manager of Fitbit Health Solutions at Google, said in a statement.
“We are proud to work with NASA to support its employees and give them access to Fitbit products and services to help them better understand and manage their health and well-being during the pandemic.”
Picture Credit : Google
