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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPrototype: This mask glows if you have Covid
(link) https://www.fastcompany.com/90705673/this-mask-glows-if-you-have-covid
Many early Omicron variant cases are asymptomatic, and as with earlier coronavirus variants, that means theres a risk that people who are infected wont realize it, and could unwittingly infect someone else who might get much sicker or even die. It still isnt clear how dangerous the new variant will be. But more testing could help slow down the spread, and right now, people typically only get tested when they start to notice symptoms.
While more testing centers and access to free or cheap rapid tests would certainly help, in Japan, scientists are working on a COVID-detecting mask that works as someone wears itfinding infections that might otherwise have been missed. An early prototype of the mask uses a special filter that can be removed and sprayed with COVID antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs. (Ostriches, which have super-charged immune systems, can help make low-cost antibodies without harming the birds.) When someone shines a black light on the filter, it will glow if the person who has been wearing the mask is infected.
The researchers are now working on a version of the mask that can glow without the help of a black light. Its not the only mask in development that aims to double as a test kit; researchers from MIT and Harvard also designed sensors that can be embedded in masks and detect COVID. In a study, they found that the design worked as well as the gold standard tests used in labs.
By avoiding the perceived discomfort of a basic COVID testssome people may be reluctant to stick a swab in their nose, though current at-home tests arent painfulit might make people more likely to test themselves. And if youre wearing a mask everyday, an everyday test could become a habit. The lead researcher in the Japanese team, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, discovered that he was infected himself after wearing one of the experimental masks, and later confirmed the result with a PCR test.
The MIT and Harvard team wants to bring its mask to market, as do the researchers in Japan. We can mass-produce antibodies from ostriches at a low cost, Tsukamoto told Kyodo News. In the future, I want to make this into an easy testing kit that anyone can use.
- short article no more at link -
2naSalit
(86,526 posts)48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)Now make one that glows if you're a RepubliQan.
SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,323 posts)FakeNoose
(32,626 posts)These masks are in R&D in Japan, a country that isn't run by profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies.
marybourg
(12,614 posts)will cause them to grow feathers and will refuse to wear one,.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,489 posts)the right-wing conspiracy theories flooding the internet!.......
KY
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)mjvpi
(1,388 posts)FakeNoose
(32,626 posts)The mask isn't being produced yet, according to the article. But yes, it has a lot of possibilities once it's widely available.
ThoughtCriminal
(14,047 posts)is pants that actually catch on fire for liars.
FakeNoose
(32,626 posts)StarryNite
(9,442 posts)niyad
(113,253 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,489 posts).......... ........
Seriously, it seems that a test strip one could insert into your existing mask would be useful too, so we could take it home after an outing and see if infectious.
A second strip on the outside of a mask would be more indicative of exposure to others that are infected because it would be more exposed to the air we breathe in.
I'm definitely interested in knowing how many sick folks I've been around.
Maybe they could make some indicative of exposure to flu as well.
KY