Last Updated on 22/11/2021 by Riya
When the Pandemic reached the country many people were unable to determine whether they were covid positive or not. After waiting in a queue for hours at a health care center people were given the chance to test their symptoms, but sometimes the tests also gave false results, causing the loss of lives. To tackle this problem, a team of researchers from MIT and the Wyss Institute developed a wearable biosensor technology that allows face masks to detect whether or not the person wearing the mask is COVID-19 positive.
The biosensor technology detects COVID symptoms through the person’s breath. The users need to integrate the biosensor technology with the K95 Mask, to check the symptoms the sensor must be turned on for which a user needs to tap on a button once the technology is integrated with the mask, allowing the biosensor technology to identify symptoms within 90 minutes. “The team essentially put an entire testing lab into a compact, synthetic biology-based sensor which fits with any face mask,” stated Peter Nguyen, a research scientist at the Wyss Institute. Besides Covid19, the biosensor system can also detect several viruses, bacteria, allergens, and chemical agents.
The technology is also designed by keeping scientists and army personnel in mind, as they are the ones who are most likely to be exposed to dangerous compounds such as pathogens or toxins. The team expects to distribute these masks to a huge number of individuals, that’s why they’re on the hunt for manufacturers who can produce them in large quantities.
Apart from this, several other biotechnology companies are also working on producing the self covid test kits. Last month a Biotechnology company Mylab also launched the first Covid-19 test kit “CoviSelf” to allow individuals to know whether they are covid positive or not without having to qued up in a health care center. The Kit was approved by ICE after thorough research.
