<span>Hyperthermia is a condition when the body’s heat-regulation system is overwhelmed and a person’s core body temperature (CBT) is above 100.4°F (38°C). This is a major risk among athletes and occupational workers in the military, construction, manufacturing, and emergency response who engage in intense physical activity. Currently the gold standard to measure CBT is through a rectal thermometer. While rectal thermometers are accurate, they are quite invasive and do not provide a way for continuous monitoring. Other skin and oral thermometers which are considered noninvasive are not accurate because they only measure surface temperature and are easily influenced by other artifacts such as motion or the external environment. There is therefore a need for a wearable device that can continuously and </span><span>noninvasively monitor CBT while also being as accurate as the rectal thermometer. This project details the creation of a continuous monitoring system that uses heart rate to accurately predict CBT through a chest belt placed at the upper thorax. Heart rate signal is more stable than temperature sensors and through a correctional algorithm the estimated core body temperature can be measured and used to warn of possible hypothermia. The device will also relay information to an external device that can notify coaches or other members of dangerously high CBT, so they can ensure the user stops physical activity. Overall, this noninvasive continuous monitoring system can be used in a variety of applications and will help expand the wearable device market and prevent temperature related illnesses such as hypothermia.</span>
Chen, J., Carbone, B., Castellanos, M., & Wagner, J. (2020). Development of Core Body Temperature (CBT) and Heart Rate Wearable Device. Intersections 2020.
