System and Method to Predict Exertional Heat Stroke from Torso-Worn Sensor

Heat strokes represent a serious risk to individuals engaging in activities that involve physical exertion in hot environments, such as construction, athletics, and military training. In these settings, the ability to accurately predict an individual's risk of heat stroke could greatly enhance their safety. Currently, heat-stroke risk is primarily achieved by monitoring core body temperature, and while effective, there's a need for more comprehensive, and potentially more accurate, methods. Currently, heat-stroke risk detection depends largely on core temperature monitoring devices that do provide useful information but do not account for all possible heat-stroke risk factors. For instance, an individual's gait can change as their body overheats, implying that this could be a valuable additional data point in detecting heat risk.

Technology Description

The heat-response monitor features an accelerometer, a core temperature sensor, an estimation device, and an enabler. The device makes use of an accelerometry-based functionality to determine a heat-stroke risk score based on the wearer's gait, while also utilizing an estimated core temperature from a core temperature sensor to identify a temperature-based risk score. The combined two risk scores are then used to assess if the wearer is at risk of a heat injury. This technology stands out because of its dual approach to heat-stroke risk detection. Existing devices mainly rely only on core temperature, which may not provide a complete picture of heat-stroke risk. This device's approach may provide a more accurate measure of risk, and consequently, a more reliable health check for users in hot environments.