The one minute Covid Breathalyser that could be a game changer
A one-minute coronavirus breathalyser test has been invested in Israel – that if approved from the US FDA could be a game changer!
If validated – this breathalyser could be a game changer – and could soon be installed at places such as at ports, workplaces and cruise ships, with each device processing breath from about 4,000 people every day.
The invention of an instant COVID-19 breathalyser could have enormous implications for air travel and the economy.
How it works
The clever contraption, which uses frequency to detect the deadly SARS-CoV-2, was designed by a team based at an Israeli university and has a success rate of more than 90 percent in trials to-date.
Current tests for the new coronavirus use throat or nose swabs and look for particles but the team led by Professor Gabby Sarusi at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev thought outside the box in terms of detection.
“We asked ourselves, since this virus is just like a nano-particle or a quantum dot with a diameter between 100nm to 140nm in terms of its size and electrical properties, can we detect it using methods from the worlds of physics, photonics and electrical engineering?
“We discovered that the answer is yes, this virus resonates in the THz frequency, and spectroscopy in these frequencies reveals it promptly.”
The hand held device contains a chip with densely packed sensors to capture tiny particles from the breath, including any viruses.
The chip is then read through a THz spectroscopy, which takes about 20 seconds.
Scientists look for the tell-tale changes in resonance in the THz spectral range caused by the coronavirus. Within a minute they can tell if someone is carrying the virus, even though they may be completely without symptoms.
Where to from here?
The next steps are to conclude the validation process then get Food and Drug Administration approval, for which there is a COVID-19 fast-tracking system in-place, meaning that the tests could be seen in public as soon as September.
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