May 5, 2021 9:45am
Oura said it will continue to develop within new use cases focused on recovery, activity, illness, mental health and women’s health. Wearable technology also shows promise for helping manage sleep apnea and high blood pressure conditions. (Oura Ring)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oura Ring quickly shifted from being just a consumer wearable to a key research tool for early detection of COVID-19 symptoms.
Oura Health s wellness ring was one of the first wearables used by an academic research institution, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to potentially predict illness symptoms. The company also donated rings to front-line healthcare workers who were likely to be affected by the virus.
Fitness ring maker Oura raises $100M
It’s been a wild couple of years for Oura. Last year, in particular, proved to be a major driver for the wearable fitness manufacturer. With the pandemic bringing professional sports to a screeching halt in 2020, a number of major leagues have adopted the ring, including the NBA, WNBA, UFC and NASCAR.
The company has also been making a major push into health research courtesy of UCSF, which has published peer-review studies around the ring’s temperature monitor. That feature in particular has made it a big draw for the aforementioned leagues, as temperature spikes could point to larger issues, including the early stages of COVID-19.
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