Royal Philips has said that it will expedite predictive health monitoring of the Rapid Analysis of Threat Exposure (RATE) algorithm to enhance the well-being and readiness of active-duty US military personnel.
RATE is an artificial intelligence (AI) tool intended for early infection detection at the US Department of Defense.
The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) will invest $25m over four years. This investment will make the technology more accessible in the field.
RATE is an advanced early detection system for pre-symptomatic infections in humans. It enhances readiness monitoring for active-duty personnel and has wide applications in healthcare.
Developed as an early warning system, RATE helps reduce downtime and contain disease spread by enabling exposed individuals to self-isolate or seek medical attention promptly.
JPEO wearables programme officer Lorenzo Hankla said: “Our mission is to protect our troops and ensure we can quickly detect and prevent the spread of illness that can impact their wellbeing and our ability to protect our nation.
“Giving them the option of using readily available off-the-shelf wearables that are trained on clinical data allows them to passively monitor their health and quickly act if their infection score is high.
“In the wake of the pandemic, our troops need access to new AI-enabled technologies that can have a meaningful impact on their readiness and ensure overall military operations.”
The initial version of the RATE algorithm, created in 2019, utilised large-scale data science and machine learning.
It analysed data from over 36,000 cases of hospital-acquired infections across various demographics and 163 biomarkers, generating a risk score.
Philips said this score identified multiple infections, including common respiratory ones like pneumococcal pneumonia.
A wearable version of the RATE algorithm was developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It uses biometric data from commercial wearables for early infection detection.
Philips North America chief region leader Jeff DiLullo said: “Our military personnel have unique care needs depending on their role and environment, and thanks to AI-enabled, predictive innovations like RATE, we can enable more timely intervention and personalised care, reducing downtime and improving outcomes, not only for individuals but entire units, too.”
Recently, the Dutch health technology company and Medtronic Neurovascular partnered to accelerate access to life-saving treatments.
