A group of researchers in Chicago have created a portable wearable device that shows potential in detecting coronavirus from a person’s cough.
According to a post on Brumpost, a tech blog, the device can also alert health experts and appropriate authorities when it finds a new case of the virus.
Since it is designed to be soft and portable, users can just place it directly on their necks. It monitors their breathing patterns as well to try and find any irregularities.
Some previously touted coronavirus detecting devices had the problem of focusing on one symptom. An example is the Rokid glasses that use temperature rise to judge a person’s health status.
However, this one is different. The developers claim that it has the ability to read 19 different symptoms. This gives it an advantage over the others.
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This device uses an algorithm to determine if a person has the coronavirus or not. Arun Jayaraman, the research scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab who led the device development had said about it:
“These sensors have the potential to unlock information that will protect frontline medical workers and patients alike — informing interventions in a timely manner to reduce the risk of transmission and increase the likelihood of better outcomes.”
The potential of this device is diverse. It can help authorities slow the spread of the pandemic significantly. However, it faces a common issue, that is; privacy of citizens.
As the device is described to work; it sends data it has collected to “the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protected cloud where it can be monitored”.
Even the mention of ‘protected cloud’ does not assure people that their data will not be tampered with. Thus, while a wearable tech that can detect coronavirus sounds promising, it may become stuck in the ‘public release stage’.
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