The ability to quickly and cost effectively screen people for COVID-19 is important in addressing the pandemic so NASA https://www.nasa.gov is tackling the issue head-on. HHS has funded NASA $3.8 million to enhance the E-Nose device developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center https://www.nasa.gov/ames.
The E-Nose device uses patented nanosensors and nanosensor array technologies for COVID detection. E-Nose is a smartphone-based device derived from technology used to help monitor air quality inside a spacecraft. NASA however is advancing the technology to detect COVID-19 by being able to sniff a person’s breath. E-Nose could help mitigate community spread of the virus similar to how temperature checks are used to screen individuals before entering shared indoor spaces.
According to Jing Li, Inventor of E-Nose, “NASA has been working on E-Nose and nanosensor technologies for 19 years as a way to target trace chemical detection for space applications, but now researchers have repurposed the technology to address the pandemic.”
Recent studies show there are changes in the Volatile Organic (VOC) breath profile due to COVID-19. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Lawrence Livermore National Lab are working to identify the specific VOCs in the breath of COVID-19 patients, using them as biosignatures for the virus. The Ames team is now fine tuning the sensors needed to detect VOCs in human breath.
The latest prototype, built by NASA Subcontractor Variable Inc., includes Bluetooth capabilities and a smartphone app that processes, displays, and transmits sensor data. The sensor array chips are swappable and can be updated with improved sensors as more is discovered about SARS-CoV-2’s VOCs.
By analyzing E-Nose data along with body temperature and other non-invasive symptoms. NASA’s expertise in advanced machine learning methods will enable the data to be used to develop a network of E-Nose devices to be used to make real-time decisions related to public health.
According to Rupak Biswas, Director of Exploration Technology Directorate at Ames, “With the potential for other applications in space and earth science, E-Nose, a non-invasive rapid technology solution can not only be used to meet the current COVID-19 crisis but also used to support NASA’s future exploration and research.