Coronavirus infection test by AI device

October 23, 2020

Coronavirus infection test by AI device

A venture business which started from Osaka University announced that it has developed a device that uses AI (artificial intelligence) to identify virus type.

3 cm square plate-shaped sensor. There is a small hole in it that allows only one virus to pass through, and when the virus passes through, a electrical signal, which particularly from the virus, generated to identify type of virus. It is a mechanism that AI identifies the electrical signal, generated signals were different for each virus since the shape is different for each. In the experiment, influenza A virus was used. When a liquid similar to the saliva of a patient was dropped on the sensor, and it just taks about 5 minutes to see the result, the system identify the virus.

The accuracy of detecting coronavirus was 95%, which was higher than the PCR test. Because the system is small and can be inspected in large quantities, it is suitable for intensively grasping the infection status in places where many people gather.

Professor Masateru Taniguchi, Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University said that "The system can be used in the Olympic Games, and the results will be available in 5 minutes immediately after a group examination, so it will be able to notify the examination results at the place."

The identification system is currently in the process of approval, and aiming for practical use in the near future.