The United States Department of Defense (DOD) introduced a groundbreaking wearable device that uses AI technology to detect disease infections in real-time.
The AI-powered wearable or smartwatch technology allows for early intervention and prevention of outbreaks.
The US Department of Defense(DOD) seal is seen on the lecturn in the media briefing room at the Pentagon December 12, 2013 in Washington, DC.
US Defense Department's New Wearable Detects Disease Infections
In a recent press release, the US Defense Department says that the RATE project used "powerful" and "predictive" AI technology, which uses data from hospitals that monitored the cases of COVID-19. The DOD started developing revolutionary tech during the pandemic brought about by the coronavirus.
The Program Manager for the RATE Project, Jeff Schneider, says that the Defense Department aims to also use wearable tech in detecting other infectious diseases in the long run.
Schneider further touts that RATE should enable the Defense Department to monitor infectious diseases using commercial wearables or smartwatches. In other words, they could detect possible infections in real-time sans any invasive process.
And as such, they could monitor the health of their members even before the disease spreads to their colleagues.
The Dutch tech firm, Philips, worked hand in hand with the US Defense Department to make the revolutionary technology possible. The giant company was responsible for developing the AI-powered algorithm of the RATE project.
The seal of the US Department of Defense is seen at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, November 28, 2016.
RATE Program: Here's How It Works
The US DOD reveals that the AI-powered algorithm of the new wearable tech detects diseases even before symptoms suggest that a person got infected. It notifies users 48 hours before symptoms start showing up. But in some cases, the detection is pretty advanced, spanning up to less than a week or a total of six days before the onset of the infection.
According to Interesting Engineering, the Defense Department is now looking to pursue the expansion of wearable tech.
The DOD has already raised enough funding to cater to more people. They can now expand the smartwatch users by roughly 4,500, allowing members from various departments to get their hands on it. Our friends from Tech Times note that the Defense Department received a whopping $10 million to kick off the expansion.
The Head of Integrated Technology Solutions at Philips, Navin Natoewal, says that the tech firm is open to offering the wearable technology to other watchmakers. It should allow them to include new features in their products, bringing infectious disease detection to commercial smartwatches.
With that, it might not take long before AI-powered disease detection debuts in various wearables.
Meanwhile, the Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Gradel notes that the new technology should assist first sergeants in monitoring their health. Such devices are crucial for them as they prioritize their people rather than themselves. He says that RATE should help improve the wellness and health of first sergeants.
With the additional funding, the US Defense plans to expand the AI-powered wearable technology to the 360 first sergeants of the Air Combat Command.
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