Innovators on university campuses in the United States are combating Covid-19 by creating masks that detect the presence of the virus that causes the disease, protect the user from being infected, and facilitate breathing and testing.Sensors for coronavirus that change colorResearchers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed sensors that can be placed in any mask to determine if the user has been exposed to the coronavirus. The sensor changes color when the virus is detected in breath or saliva.
As convenient and inexpensive as pharmacy pregnancy tests, the sensors offer a quick result that is easy to read.
“In many ways, masks are the ‘wearable’ sensor
The FloeMask from the Luminosity Lab at Arizona State University is designed to promote an anti-fogging and refreshing mask experience to reduce discomfort while wearing the mask. Photo © Luminosity Lab at ASU
perfect for our current world,” said Jesse Jokerst, a professor of Nanoengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego and the principal investigator of the project. “We are taking what many people are already wearing and repurposing it so we can identify new infections quickly and easily, and protect vulnerable communities.”
The sensor is not intended to replace Covid-19 testing but serves as a warning for the user to seek medical attention if the virus is detected. Jokerst compared it to a smoke detector.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health provided $1.3 million for the UC San Diego project. The research team will partner with a manufacturer to produce the sensors to be used by individuals in high-risk environments. The sensors will be low-cost to allow for daily testing.Easier breathingA team of students from Arizona State University (ASU) designed a mask that protects against the virus while also facilitating breathing.
The ASU undergraduate and graduate student team interviewed people who were reluctant to wear masks. Many said that masks made it difficult to breathe, especially during physical exercise.
As many people primarily breathe through their nose, the team designed a mask with separate chambers for air exhaled through the nose and mouth.
The ASU team’s mask won $500,000 in a competition led by XPrize, a nonprofit organization that sponsors competitions aimed at solving
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, created a color-changing test strip that connects to a mask and detects Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in a user’s breath or saliva. Photo © UCSD
global challenges.
“It hasn’t been a matter of money or even recognition for this team,” said Nikhil Dave, the ASU team leader. “It’s about doing what we can to impact our communities and solve urgent challenges as they arise.”Testing and more testingMeanwhile, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a low-cost saliva test aimed at detecting Covid-19. The test provides results in less than 24 hours. Faculty at the University of Arizona developed a test using wastewater, while students on the same campus developed a mobile app for Covid-19 exposure tracking. The app keeps the user anonymous.
Other innovators in the U.S. are also fighting against the spread of Covid-19 using methods ranging from artificial intelligence to llama antibodies.
Source: https://share.america.gov/