Russia has unveiled a device said to be capable of detecting and analyzing airborne pathogens like bacteria, toxins and viruses – including Covid-19. It alerts of potential danger within seconds, and then pinpoints its source, Russia Today reports.
Dubbed “Detector Bio,” the device was showcased by the KMZ factory – best known as the manufacturer of Zenit cameras – during the military-industrial forum ‘Army 2020’ near Moscow on Friday. Its developer team includes the Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow – the same institute that has produced the world’s first registered Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V.
Detector Bio is no pocket gadget, and looks somewhat like a refrigerator, owing its size to a ‘layer cake’ design which effectively contains a series of small laboratories, each performing its own tests.
The stack of mini-labs allows the device to detect coronavirus, or any other airborne danger floating by, running two cycles of analysis to deliver a clear result, according to its creators.
During the first phase it gathers samples of the surrounding air, and in ten to fifteen seconds can alert to any traces of a virus, bacteria or a toxin. At this stage in the process, it cannot yet name the specific pathogen detected. The device then runs a second, more detailed analysis of the air samples to determine what substance or microbe is present, which could take between one and two hours.
Detector Bio is by no means the first device in the world claimed to accurately detect Covid-19; however after five years in the making, its developers have deemed its design a “crown jewel.” It is said to be primarily aimed at public spaces, including the metro, railway stations and airports.
