Researchers have invented a new wearable device that sticks to the throat, which could detect symptoms of COVID-19 before it manifests.
The device is about the size of a stamp and is made of soft silicone material. It can monitor a wearer's body temperature, heart rate, breathing, and cough. The data collected will be then sent to a cloud, where a program will identify if the symptoms are related to the coronavirus disease. The results will be forwarded to a physician who can use the data to guide interventions and track the effects of treatments.
What's great about this device is that the user can simply peel it off and use a wireless charger to power it up. The Band-Aid style wearable comes with no removable batteries, wires, charge ports, electrodes, and you can wear it in the shower. It can be sterilized as well.
This coronavirus wearable was developed at Northwestern University in Chicago, USA, while the custom algorithms were designed by researchers at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
According to researchers, the device wasn't originally designed for COVID-19. It was built on previous research to help patients with stroke to monitor speech disorders and swallowing during the process of recovery.
The patch has sensors that can detect vibrations made by the chest wall when it moves. This makes it unaffected by any type of noise not produced by our bodies, which is a common problem in most acoustic measuring tools.
"Our device sits at the perfect location on the body - the suprasternal notch - to measure respiratory rate, sounds, and activity because that's where airflow occurs near the surface of the skin," said Northwestern's John A. Rogers.
Researchers are currently testing the device on 25 coronavirus-infected patients. The data collected from participants will be used to improve the algorithms of the device. In the near future, more features will be added, including the ability to measure blood oxygen levels.
The purpose of the device is to get suspected patients to receive treatment sooner before the disease worsens. It also helps in monitoring symptoms for asymptomatic individuals. With constant monitoring, the slightest sign of trouble will be detected, which in turn increases the chance of recovery and reduces the risk of the virus' spread.
Northwestern researchers said they're already producing dozens of the patch weekly and will increase capacity gradually. Production is reportedly done in-house to follow stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines.
