According to US media reports, researchers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working together to develop a mask that can detect whether the wearer is infected with the new coronavirus.
MIT researcher Jim Collins told the media that the researchers are adjusting the sensors they started developing in 2014 to detect Ebola virus in response to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Researchers from two universities published their research in 2016, when they adjusted the technology to deal with Zika virus.
Allegedly, when the wearer breathes, coughs or sneezes, if he has been infected with the new coronavirus, then the mask under development will emit a fluorescent signal.
Collins said that the project is still in the “very early stage”, but the results are promising. They hope to prove that the concept is feasible in the next few weeks.
The research team is testing the ability of the sensor to detect viruses with very few saliva samples. Researchers are also experimenting with installing sensors in masks and developing a module that can be connected to other over-the-counter masks.
This virus recognition technology is said to have been proven to be used for other viruses, including SARS, measles, influenza, hepatitis C and West Nile virus.
Collins said that with the lifting of the epidemic restriction measures, such masks may be used to diagnose patients with new coronavirus and for screening in the field of public transportation.
He said: “When we open our borders, you can imagine that when we pass through security, when we wait to board the plane, it will be used at the airport. You or I can use it on the way to and from work. The hospital can be in Use it when you come in or wait in the waiting room as a prescreen for who is infected. ”
Collins stated that the laboratory’s goal is to start producing such masks before the end of this summer and release them to the public.
Post time: May-14-2020