There will be a total solar eclipse on 12 August across a strip of the Iberian Peninsula, the first total eclipse in the region for over 120 years. A project in Catalonia, Spain, will analyze the effect of the forthcoming solar eclipse on people wearing health tracking devices such as smartwatches.
A group of researchers plans to find out how the eclipse affects things like heart rate, by recruiting participants who have smartwatches and fitness trackers. The study has been launched by the Department of Research and Universities as part of the ‘Catalonia Looks at the Sky’ initiative. The initiative also includes the participation of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC).
The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), through its Pulmonology and Cardiovascular Diseases research groups, will analyze the data collected within the framework of this project.
SOLARIS (“Seguiment d’Observacions de l’Activitat caRdíaca i reSpiratòria durant un eclipsi Solar” in Catalan), will log the physiological responses to the eclipse across Spain.
The study will track parameters such as heart rate and breathing during the two days before, the day of, and the two days after the eclipse. The study team says changes in conditions caused by the astronomical phenomenon will contribute to generating scientific knowledge about the relationship between natural phenomena, emotions, and health.
SOLARIS is using OneCareAI technology to manage the collection of the biometric data in an anonymized and secure manner. To participate, people can click on a QR code, then make sure they’re wearing a device capable of recording at least heart rate. The submitted daya needs to include time references, with recordings from the days before and after the event in order to establish a comparative baseline against the behavior observed during the eclipse. The team says participants should avoid engaging in intense physical activity during the measurement periods.
The SOLARIS project is interesting because it’s an example of how wearable devices are changing and widening the type of data available for analysis. When people participate in lab-based monitoring and experiments, the information gathered isn’t necessarily a realistic representation of what happens in real life.
A similar approach to SOLARIS could be taken for other situations such as heat waves, pandemics, or natural disasters, along with longer term situations such as how shift work affects health, with the ability to track very large groups of participants without disrupting their everyday lives.
There are versions of the app for both Android and iPhones, and the study is open for applications now.
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