The ring is equipped with unique technology sensors that allow it to detect the virus up to three days before the onset of symptoms • Success rate: 90%

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One challenge in curbing the spread of the corona virus is that asymptomatic people, or carriers, can spread the virus before they even realize they are infected. Last April, researchers at the Rockefeller Institute of the University of West Virginia were first able to predict symptoms before they appear, using aura rings that seem like regular rings, but are equipped with unique technology. Now, researchers say their digital platform can detect COVID-19 symptoms up to three days earlier than today's tests, and with over 90 percent accuracy.

The approach is neuroscience-based, and it examines the stress, anxiety and biometrics of the people wearing the ring. The ring collects physiological data, such as body temperature, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, breathing rate, and sleep patterns. It combines app and ring data with AI guided models.

While the platform can be better than nothing, the 90 percent accuracy rate still leaves room for asymptomatic people to place others. If 1,000 people use the system, 100 people may still get inaccurate results. So while the platform looks pretty promising and can point to the kinds of solutions available to us in the future, it may also take time for something like this to be ready for real-world use.

Ali Razai, RNI Executive Chairman, said, "We feel this platform will be integral to protecting our healthcare workers, first responders and communities as we adapt to life in the COVID-19 era."

The platform is currently being tested by more than 600 first-time medical and responding professionals, and RNI is working with partners such as Thomas Jefferson University and Vanderbilt University to increase testing to include more than 10,000 participants. The study is not the only attempt to use rings to predict COVID-19 infections. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) are also looking into how the Aura ring can be used to detect the virus among emergency medical workers.

"We hope Ora's technology will advance how people recognize and understand the highest quality physiological signals and signs of our bodies when they refer to infectious diseases like COVID-19," said Harpert Rai, CEO of Aura.