Smartwatch to monitor vital parameters and reflective roofs: the project to reduce the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable communities
To Ahmedabada city of theWestern India always subject to hot summers, the heat has now reached levels that may result fatal After a few hours of exposure. In response to this increasingly serious climatic crisis, a pilot project started that combines wearable technology and simple but effective architectural solutions, such as i reflective roofsto monitor and reduce the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable communities.
In the popular neighborhood of Vanzara Vasover 200 inhabitants have been equipped with smartwatch detecting heartbeat, sleep quality and other vital parameters. The data collected help researchers understand how the human body reacts to high temperatures, especially in living contexts where conditions are critical: houses with sheet metal roofs which, under the sun, become real ovens.
At the same time, some roofs have been covered with a special reflective paintcapable of Lower the internal temperature of homes. The comparison between houses with and without this modification, combined with the detections of intelligent watches, will allow to evaluate the effectiveness of this low -cost solution.
The extreme temperatures affect above all the poorest
The project, coordinated by University and Health Bodies international and local, is part of a wider research also conducted in Burkina Faso, Niue (Pacific Island) e Mexico. The goal is to identify practical tools to help approx 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements to face an increasingly hostile climate.
Ahmedabad was among the first Indian cities to have a emergency plan against the heatafter in 2010 a wave of heat caused 1,300 excess deaths. But today the challenge has intensified: extreme temperatures come first, last longer and mainly affect poor And who lives on the margins.
The residents involved welcome the project with hope: even if some houses have not yet received the treatment on the roof, wearing the clock confidence that something can change. For her and many others, the heat is not just annoyance: it is one Daily threat health, work and night rest. In a world where the climate change accentuates the inequalities, these interventions represent a concrete first step towards a greater climatic justice.
