Novel Face Mask Developed by MIT, Harvard can detect Covid-19 infection

Researchers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a new face mask that can diagnose if the wearer is infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, within 90 minutes. 

The face mask sensors are designed so that they can be activated by the wearer when they are ready to perform the test, and the results are displayed on the inside of the mask, for the privacy of the user. 

“We have demonstrated that we can freeze-dry a broad range of synthetic biology sensors to detect viral or bacterial nucleic acids, as well as toxic chemicals, including nerve toxins,” said James Collins , a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.