DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Imagine a wearable device that warns you if you’re overheating while outside.
It’s a technology that could transform working environments for those in construction, farming, and even for people playing outdoor sports.
That’s exactly what a team of researchers at Emory University and Georgia Tech is working on.
One of the leaders behind the research is Roxana Chicas, an assistant professor of nursing at Emory University.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The daughter of immigrants from El Salvador, she says she grew up watching family members suffer while working outside in the heat, an experience that has fueled her passion to find a solution.
“I knew a farmworker who fainted in the field from heat exhaustion, only to be run over by a tractor-trailer… so I knew this was a big problem for outdoor workers,” said Chicas.
The multi-sensor biopatch sends information to a smartphone or other device about important health markers like skin hydration and body temperature.
“The idea is that it could sound an alarm or verbally say, ‘It’s time for you to take a break,’ or, ‘You need to cool down,’” explained Chicas.
She says the device is designed to prevent heat-related illness—or even death—from happening.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Former Atlanta Falcon Kroy Biermann has new job following split from RHOA star Zolciak
- Mother charged after 5-year-old shot, killed at DeKalb County apartment complex
- DeKalb high school student dies after football practice
“Agricultural workers have the highest rate of heat-related mortality. They’re 35 times more likely to suffer a heat-related death than any other occupation, followed by construction workers, who are 13 times more likely,” said Chicas.
The Emory scientist says that while she’s primarily tested the device on workers in the farming industry, she believes it could impact other vulnerable populations outdoors as well.
“I think the biopatch could be applicable to many other populations, like older adults and athletes…so I think it has the potential to make a significant impact on the general population,” said Chicas.
She said the goal is for the device to eventually reach the commercial market, and she’s hopeful that could happen within the next two years.
The project is being funded in part by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which awarded the researchers a $2.46 million grant last year.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
