Researchers are designing a new smart testing device for Covid19

A team of UK scientists from three universities are developing a new smart testing device for Covid19. The device incorporates artificial intelligence, image processing, and molecular virology and allows to detect the virus in 30 minutes using a smartphone app.
The science used to develop the testing device has been evaluated in the Philippines to check chickens for viral infections. The team is adapting this science to detect Covid19 in humans.

The device would be operated by ambulatory care professionals, nurses and biomedical scientists. It works by taking nasal or throat swabs which are then tested for Covid19, without the need to go to a lab, and it will be possible to test up to six people at once. Each battery-operated and hand-held smartphone-linked device would cost around £100.

The team is also working on adding a telemedicine function to the mobile app to control the device, track user’s movement and contact anyone who is at high risk of infection.

‘Now we know multiple genomes of COVID-19, we can develop the molecular test in a week and have it up and running on the device in three or four,’ said Brunel University London’s professor Wamadeva Balachandran.

“Normally, anything like this would have to go through clinical trials,” Professor Balachandran said in a statement. “But this is not a normal situation. According to the Imperial College model, this might last for 18 months. And cases will rise over the next few months. Everyone is crying out for these tests, and many will take a long time. We haven’t got a long time, so anything like this is going to help. Speed is essential. With local hospitals’ help, we aim to do a limited number of tests with available positive and negative samples.”

The idea is to make this test cheaper than others so it can be used worldwide at home, in GP surgeries, hospitals and workplaces.

Professor Roberto La Ragione, Deputy Head of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Surrey University, said: “With a rapid response from manufacturers, we could deliver a point-of-care test kit to support mass-scale testing within the NHS and globally.”

Adapted from: https://www.designboom.com/technology/uk-scientists-smart-device-test-co...
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/rapid-test-for-covid-19-point-of-care/