There’s excitement brewing at RMIT University – a branch of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. That’s because their colleagues at Soterius, MIP Diagnostics, Burnet Institute, D + I and Vestech are onto something good. And that something is a sensor detecting viral particles in minutes, enabling scouting for the COVID before people enter a managed space.
Because COVID Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon
So said project leader Prof. Sharath Sriram, in a statement relayed in International Business Times on July 10, 2021. The Soterius Scout under development can detect SARS-CoV-2 and variants on people’s breath. And it can stand alone, or be a wearable tag.
There’s a biosensor at the heart of the Soterius system, able to detect up to eight viral strains. And moreover it tweaks easily to adapt to new variants, even new viruses. Prototype tests at RMIT University also indicate the biosensor detects SARS-CoV-2 spike protein fragments ‘with impressive accuracy and no false positives’.
Scouting for the COVID Before People Enter Simply and Easily
International Business Times describes the sensing process as relatively simple. First, the device detects viral deposits on it within one minute. And then it communicates the result to the card reader the person entering swipes. But it could also send the data to a smartphone by setting it up to do so.
Everything about the system is safety oriented. Virus particles detected during biochemical scouting bind chemically to the receptor before people enter, and trap within it. And, if the sensor were to detect we were positive with or without symptoms, then the bot would ask us to undergo COVID-19 testing and self-isolate.
Patent applications are currently running through the Australian system, where production will take place. The initial targets are hospitals. However, future applications include high-traffic and essential worker settings, such as airports and schools, quarantine hotels, and assisted living facilities for the elderly. What a good idea. Well done Soterius, RMIT and the rest of the team!
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Preview Image: Tap and Enter with Soterius Scout
