A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University have designed a mask model that detects coronavirus particles in the wearer's breath.
The technology is being adapted to a paper-based trial of Ebola and Zika viruses produced by MIT engineering professor James Collins in mid-2010s, reports MIT News.
Collins later developed a sensory system called SHERLOCK, which is used to detect nucleic acids. A team of scientists was already working on wearable sensors, such as masks, when the coronavirus struck last year, prompting them to re-focus their efforts on Covid-19. A description of the viral mask coverage was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology on Monday.(ads2)
According to investigators, tiny SHERLOCK dry sensors were inserted into a paper bag, so that they could detect virus particles in the wearer's breath. The wearer should press a button that draws water from a small pool in the mask to activate the test. The result is correct within 90 minutes and is only visible within the user's privacy bar.
"We think this platform will empower future generations to be worn by first responders, health workers and the military," Collins told MIT News.
Scientists were working to incorporate a new method of testing into the jackets of health care workers. The team tested many types of fabric, including cotton, polyester, wool and silk.
"We ended up identifying a couple who are widely used in the fashion industry in the making of clothing," said Luis Soenksen, who runs MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for MIT for Machine Learning in Health and is one of the founders of the project, he said. "The best thing was the combination of polyester and other synthetic fibers."
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