DOD and Private Sector Develop Wearable Technology for Early Disease Detection

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in partnership with private sector has developed a wearable device that uses artificial intelligence and off-the-shelf wearables to predict infectious diseases up to 48 hours before symptoms appear. The project, called Rapid Assessment of Threat Exposure (RATE), was initially started with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in 2020 to identify COVID-19 infections. RATE has been successful and effective enough that DOD is extending the project to new user groups to aid military readiness. RATE uses a powerful, predictive algorithm trained on hospital-acquired data to monitor service members’ health noninvasively and alert potential infection before it spreads. With $10 million in additional funds, DIU is adding 4,500 more users across the department. The wearable device is being used by Air Combat Command’s first sergeants as part of its new Diamond Care Initiative Plan. The Food and Drug Administration has classified RATE as a general wellness device.