Harvard and MIT researchers are developing a face mask that lights up when it detects the coronavirus
- For the last six years, bioengineers have been developing sensors that can detect viruses like Zika and Ebola
- Sensors in face mask would light up to signal the presence of the new coronavirus when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes
Pandemics were top of mind for Jim Collins years before the new coronavirus emerged.
In 2014, his bioengineering laboratory at MIT began developing sensors that could detect the Ebola virus when it was freeze-dried onto a piece of paper. The small team of scientists from MIT and Harvard first published their research in 2016; by then, they'd tailored the technology to address the growing Zika virus threat.
Now, they're adjusting their tool again to identify coronavirus cases.
The team is developing a face mask that produces a fluorescent signal when a person with the coronavirus breathes, coughs, or sneezes. If the technology proves successful, it could address flaws associated with other screening methods like temperature checks.
“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,” Collins said. “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.”
Doctors could even use them to diagnose patients on the spot, without having to send samples to a laboratory. At a time when testing snafus and delays have hampered many countries' ability to control outbreaks, tools that quickly identify patients are critical.