As the coronavirus restrictions started easing in various places across the world, the National Basketball Players Association has also begun their plans to restart the 2019-2020 season, which will start on July 30.
Ahead of the season's start, professional basketball players, as well as other NBA personnel, are already isolated at the Walt Disney World located in Orlando to guarantee everyone is COVID-19-free.
Nevertheless, what would the association do to manage guests?
NBA Informational Memo has Been Leaked
According to a report by The Athletic, plans have started leaking out through an informational memo known as "Life Inside the Bubble," wherein the specifics are laid out and detailed, including quarantine protocols, the testing plans, and more.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the plan is the Oura Rings.
Based on the memo that the news outlet garnered, the NBA is proposing the use of Oura smart rings, which should help in detecting coronavirus symptoms early on.
Posted by OURA on Thursday, 30 November 2017
Detecting COVID-19 Symptoms as Early as Three Days
In a research by the West Virginia University's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute earlier this month, the Oura rings have positive results in detecting COVID-19 symptoms, stating that it can "forecast and predict the onset of COVID-19 related symptoms."
The study also concluded that it could do the job as early as three days since the infection with 90% accuracy.
The rings could detect the symptoms through the information obtained from the wearers via in-app surveys combined with the physiological data from the rings in the rings digital platform.
Researchers acquired the data from around 600 medical frontliners during the study's first phase, and they are now planning to scale up to obtain more data from thousands of participants and get more accuracy.
As per Engadget, the second-generation Oura rings are made from titanium, making them extremely durable. They can remain rust-free for a long time--plus each ring is also water-resistant and only weighs four to six grams, depending on its size.
When charged, an Oura ring could run for up to seven days and be powered by its wireless inductive charging plate once it drains.
Similar to Wearable Techs
In concept, these rings are similar to a variety of wearable techs like fitness trackers and smartwatches that feature a gyroscope, body temperature sensors, infrared LED sensors, and an accelerometer.
It should be able to store data for up to six weeks and could be synced to both iOS and Android devices through Bluetooth Low Energy.
It becomes more helpful when worn 24/7.
Nevertheless, the use of the rings during the start of the NBA's new season is optional, and there's still no word on how the association will gather data and track possible symptoms from guests.
Additionally, the NBA hasn't fully confirmed that the season will start again, as nobody is sure what will happen in the coming months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But plans seem to be in motion, and if guests do appear to watch the games in person, it's highly likely the arenas will be half-empty and might be using video game crowd noise to build up the hype.
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