License received from US Army to use ECTemp algorithm

The United States Army has developed technology that can determine the core body temperature of soldiers from their heart rates. This ECTemp technology results from decades of research and testing at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Evalan has been granted permission to apply this technology in wearables. The technology detects the first signs of overheating during heavy physical exertion, and can be used to protect individuals from heat injuries. Evalan markets this technology in a wearable: ARMOR.

Protection against overheating and prevention of heat injuries are themes in organizations where people perform strenuous physical work. One of these organizations is the military. During intense training sessions, marches and other exercises that require soldiers to go to extremes, overheating occurs sometimes. In these situations it is often not possible for a soldier to determine whether he or she exceeds the limit to overheating. Heat injuries can cause permanent damage to the body. The United States military has spent years researching this problem, developing technology that allows military trainers and commanders to monitor the heat load of each individual soldier. Evalan has developed the ARMOR wearable which enables large scale implementation of heat load monitoring during routine exercises.

Heat monitor ARMOR
When using ARMOR, soldiers wear a heart rate monitor on their arm and carry the small ARMOR wearable in their pocket. The wearable determines every minute the actual core temperature of the soldier from the heart rate data, and sends that temperature in real time to an app installed on the tablet or mobile phone of the trainer. In addition to the estimated core temperature, the app also shows a Physical Strain Index score, a measure of the soldier’s heat load. If this score increases beyond a defined threshold, the trainer can intervene and initiate actions according to a protocol. ARMOR is currently used in training centers of the Dutch armed forces and is internationally tested by other army units.

License Agreement with the US Army
ARMOR is also suitable in non-military use. Risk of overheating occurs during heavy physical activity, such as the work performed by fire fighters, during certain industrial work processes, and during intensive sports activities. These risks are often not recognized. In order to make ARMOR available for such non-military applications, Evalan has signed a license agreement with the US Army.