Researchers are testing wearable sensors to protect outdoor workers from extreme heat by monitoring vital signs and predicting heatstroke. On a Florida fern farm, workers are using experimental biopatches in a study by Emory University and Georgia Tech, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The sensors track vitals, sending data to an AI system designed to alert workers before heat illness occurs. As the project progresses, the goal is to develop a system that directly warns workers of impending heat dangers.

For their research, Chicas and her team partnered with the Farmworker Association of Florida to recruit participants. They aimed to outfit 100 workers with the biopatches for the four-year study, but said they were surprised by how many people wanted to take part, so wound up with 166.

The participating workers come in before dawn to get their patches and have their vitals measured. Then it’s off to the fields before the hottest and deadliest hours of the day.

“I hope the research will help improve working conditions,” Juan Perez, one of the study participants, said in Spanish. He added that he has been working in fern fields for 20 years and would like more breaks and better pay.

Other farmworkers, too, said they hope the research shows how strenuous their job can be.

Antonia Hernandez, a study participant who lives in Pierson, said she often worries about the heat risk that she and her daughter face; both work in the fern fields.

“If you don’t have a family, you only worry about your house, your rent,” Hernandez said in Spanish. “But if you have children, well, the truth is that there is a lot of pressure on you, you have to work.”

Chicas said she can see the heat’s wear and tear on some workers’ faces.

“They look much older, some of them look much older than they really are, because it really takes a toll on their body and their health,” she said.

Chicas has been researching ways to protect farmworkers from heat for close to a decade. In projects dating to 2015, she outfitted workers with bulky sensors to measure skin temperature, skin hydration, blood oxygen levels and vital signs. The current study is the first time she has experimented with a lightweight biopatch; it resembles a large band-aid and is placed in the middle of the chest.

Wearable technology for monitoring heat exposure is evolving. Current sensors, like those sold by SlateSafety, are available for employers and involve arm bands that monitor body temperature. The military uses a similar system to track soldiers’ heat exposure. The system under development by Chicas’ team, however, is designed to send alerts directly to workers, ensuring they are warned of potential heat illness in real time. The next phase involves analyzing data to refine the algorithm for detecting heat risks.