Early this year, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association bought 2,000 high-tech rings for their players. The reason they did this: to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
This season, NBA and WNBA players have been living in isolated areas in Florida known as “bubbles.” These bubbles were created to reduce players’ chances of catching the virus that causes Covid-19 while they resumed their games. As another precaution, players wore smart rings made by the company Oura Health.
The rings, which start at $299, contain electronic sensors that track heart and breathing rates. They can also measure body temperature and activity levels. The hope was that the data would identify early on if a player was experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, like fever or difficulty breathing. “Then the athlete could immediately seek out testing and avoid infecting others,” says Harpreet Singh Rai, Oura’s chief executive officer.