Researchers Are Creating A Mask That Detects COVID-19
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 09: A woman wearing a protective mask is seen in Union Square on March 9, 2020 in New York City. There are now 20 confirmed coronavirus cases in the city including a 7-year-old girl in the Bronx. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
There are several innovative inventions and breakthroughs that have surfaced since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. For example, there are companies making hospital beds that turn into coffins. There are also countries training dogs to sniff out the disease. Now, there are researchers working on transforming how face masks work.
Per the New York Post, there are researchers at Harvard and MIT that are designing a face mask that would glow when it comes into contact with the coronavirus. MIT researcher Jim Collins explains that the project is in early stages. "As we open up our transit system, you could envision it being used in airports as we go through security, as we wait to get on a plane." He also adds, "You or I could use it on the way to and from work. Hospitals could use it for patients as they come in or wait in the waiting room as a pre-screen of who’s infected."
According to the New York Post, "The mask would produce a fluorescent signal when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes into it — perhaps allowing doctors to diagnose patients on the spot without the need to send samples to a lab." They add that researchers are adjusting and using sensors that were used in 2014 to detect the Ebola virus and the Zika pathogen.
Researchers hope to fine tune the invention and begin manufacturing the masks for the public by the end of summer.
