The coronavirus, which broke out in late 2019 and killed millions of people around the world, is still a great threat to humanity. Although great progress has been made in vaccination studies, the desired result cannot be fully achieved due to a new variant emerging day by day.
There have been important developments regarding COVID-19 tests recently. Taking action, especially due to the expensiveness of PCR tests and the fact that rapid antigen tests can give false results from time to time, scientists announced that they are working on a new test method that activates smartphones.
COVID-19 testing will be possible with smartphone camera
A group of scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, announced that they have made major strides in a new test method using smartphone cameras, which has an accuracy that is largely close to PCR tests that are practiced around the world and are known for their reliability.
Announced in an article published in JAMA Network Open, the new test method called smaRT-LAMP tests the coronavirus pathogens in the saliva of the person via smartphone cameras, giving results in 25 minutes and is more reliable than the rapid antigen tests often used on the market.
The scientists stated that the necessary equipment for the test cost them $ 100, but people can perform their tests by paying around $ 7 for a test.
In order to perform the test called smaRT-LAMP, the application developed by the research team must be downloaded. The saliva sample then needs to be mixed with the chemical solution and placed in a test kit positioned on a hot plate. It should also be noted that this kit contains fluorescent dye and LED light that can burn in response to reactions.
Then the application needs to be activated. Application. In this process, it will take a shot from the rear camera of the smartphone every 10 seconds and determine the result of the test and the amount of viral load depending on the color reactions.
Finally, it is worth noting that the smaRT-LAMP method is not yet at the level to be used and is under development.
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