Oura's Harpreet Rai on a Ring That May Change Covid-19 Detection

<p>This week Harry speaks with Oura Health CEO Harpreet Rai, who's leading an effort to explore how a wearable sleep-monitoring device—the Oura Ring—can pick up patterns that may help diagnose covid-19 infections and other problems.</p><p>The ring is equipped with sensors that measure heart rate and body temperature, as well as a tiny Bluetooth radio that syncs the data it collects with a smartphone app. The Finland-based company designed the ring primarily to measure sleep quality, but it also contains an accelerometer and a gyroscope that can measure daytime movement and activity.  Together, the data is used to calculate a "readiness score" indicating whether the wearer is fully rested and prepared for the day.</p><p>Now Oura is collaborating with the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute to study whether data from the ring can also be used to detect the early symptoms of covid-19 and predict whether wearers will be officially diagnosed with the virus.  The hypothesis is that systematic changes in a wearer's readiness score can presage illness. Rai tells Harry: "Their body temperature is starting to change. Their respiratory rate is starting to change. Their HRV [heart rate variability] is starting to change. We've seen people send us messages that 'Oh, my readiness score changed, and my ring gave me a notification that I might be coming down with a fever, or my body temperature was elevated, and I should take it easy,' and a day or two later they'll feel symptoms, unfortunately, of being sick."</p><p>If such patterns hold true, the National Basketball Association may be one of the first organizations to benefit. The league bought 2,000 Oura rings this summer in a bid to help protect players sequestered at Disney World for the season.</p><p>Please rate and review MoneyBall Medicine on Apple Podcasts! Here's how to do that from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:</p><p>• Launch the “Podcasts” app on your device. If you can’t find this app, swipe all the way to the left on your home screen until