Signs of a coronavirus infection might be found in subtle changes in your voice, MIT research shows
- Researchers found that changes in the movements of vocal muscles could be an indicator of whether someone has suffered an inflammation from Covid-19
- Detection could eventually be used in apps to help identify asymptomatic carriers
Testing for Covid-19 currently involves a deep throat saliva sample or the dreaded nasal swab. But it might soon be as simple as listening to the sound of your voice.
To conduct the test, the researchers used videos of five carriers from press conferences and interviews posted to YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. They analysed audio data from both before and after the carriers tested positive for the virus.
To explain it more simply, one of the researchers likened it to a pianist’s fingers. Under normal circumstances, a pianist’s fingers move with high complexity. But if a person’s wrist and finger movements were stuck together, a pianist could only play simpler tunes.
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This new finding might eventually lead to an easy way for people to see whether they should get tested. According to MIT News, the team is planning to implement the idea through mobile apps, potentially allowing people to discover infections early. Doctors can also use it to remotely monitor the progress of their patients.
But this research remains in its early stages for now. And data from just five people is not a large sample size. In their paper, the researchers say the data needs to be validated by larger and more controlled data sets. Future research will also need to address the influence of different recording conditions for audio samples, they note.