Included in the NBA’s plan to restart the 2019-2020 season at Walt Disney World in Orlando is the option for players to wear smart rings to detect if and when they begin showing symptoms of COVID-19.
NBA players will wear a ‘smart ring’ at Disney world, per https://t.co/UCLdrFVMWo
The Oura smart ring is capable of predicting COVID-19 symptoms up to 3 days in advance with 90% accuracy. The ring can measure body
temperature, respiratory functions and heart rate. pic.twitter.com/pYYIqOLDbZ— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 18, 2020
According to the NBA’s new health and safety memo, players will be receiving several different pieces of tech and safety equipment to utilize while in the Disney bubble, including a Disney Magic Band to be worn at all times and used to get through checkpoints and into rooms, social distancing alarms that will go off if players are too close to each other for too long, and these “smart” rings that they will have the choice to wear or not.
“I think we are going to be able to pull this off,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday. “We are doing everything possible to keep people safe and I think it will work.”
Disney MagicBand
According to Complex Sports, the rings can reportedly forecast and predict when players begin to experience COVID-related symptoms up to three days in advance. Players will have full access to the data collected on them as well, which will be studied by scientists at the University of Michigan to monitor for symptoms.
So far the NHL has yet to disclose specific plans regarding any new technologies they will implement when play resumes, but you can be assured they are following other sports leagues very closely.
The NBA regular season is set to restart on July 30.
More on the Oura ring here.
By Jon Sorensen
