In recent reports, some dogs have been trained to literally sniff out individuals infected with COVID-19. Now, a tech company is using the power of artificial intelligence to do the same thing with an “artificial nose” handheld device.

In a recent test, BrainChip Inc. and NaNose Medical were able to successfully detect COVID-19 in exhaled breath in much the same way a breathalyzer detects alcohol.  Their COVID-19 testing results are reportedly fast and highly accurate.

BrainChip is a leading provider of ultra-low power high performance artificial intelligence technology. In a press release, the company wrote, “Using the NaNose Medical artificial nose, and Akida’s artificial brain, is a potential breakthrough in accurate, fast, inexpensive, widespread (COVID-19) testing with the potential to control outbreaks and reduce this disease’s death toll.”

This NaNose Medical technology is based on the artificial nose developed at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, by Prof. Hossam Haick, and has the same sensitivity to minute quantities of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a dog’s nose.

While it’s use as an instant or rapid COVID-19 test are new, the device has been used in tests to identify diseases including Parkinson’s, cancers, kidney failure, and multiple sclerosis for several years.

For the recent trials testing COVID-19, NaNose Medical collected samples from 130 patients and used that data to train its Akida neuromorphic processor. The system has now learned to recognize patterns of VOC biomarkers associated with an COVID-19 infection within seconds with a high level of accuracy.

According to a study in China, this type of breath sensor data is more accurate than current COVID-19 tests using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Additionally, sensor testing like this reduces the risk to healthcare workers because the tests does not rely on saliva or mucus samples.

“Artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare is an emerging field and one in which we are eager to contribute with our edge AI processing solution at the Edge, for the benefit of science and humanity,” said Louis DiNardo, BrainChip CEO.

Both Louis DiNardo, Brainchip CEO and Orit Marom Albeck, NaNose Medical CEO said: “Using the NaNose Medical artificial nose, and Akida’s artificial brain, is a potential breakthrough in accurate, fast, inexpensive, widespread testing with the potential to control outbreaks and reduce this disease’s death toll.”

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Earlier this week, the airline announced the COVID-19 testing for passengers headed to Hawaii from its hub in San Francisco. This is a pilot program that may be expanded to other locations.

As an island, Hawaii has been virtually shut down to travel. An economically painful thing for an island state that relies so heavily on tourism.

All travelers, including residents returning home, to Hawaii have been subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. This is clearly not attractive to someone headed there for a vacation.

This new COVID-19 testing program from United may be just what the state’s tourism industry needs. If expanded, the program may help eliminate quarantine restrictions to other popular destinations.

But most importantly, the program by the airline will help stop the spread of the corona virus.

“Our new COVID testing program is another way we are helping customers meet their destinations’ entry requirements, safely and conveniently,” said Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer at United.

“We’ll look to quickly expand customer testing to other destinations and U.S. airports later this year to complement our state-of-the-art cleaning and safety measures that include a mandatory mask policy, antimicrobial and electrostatic spraying and our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration systems.”

The testing program will begin on October 15 at the SFO airport. Passengers will have 2 COVID-19 testing options. A rapid test at the airport just before departure, or a mail-in test kit.

In a press release, the airline indicated that passengers will be able to schedule their rapid test online ahead of their travel date. At the airport, they will be tested for COVID-19 and can expect to receive their results in approximately 15 minutes.

For the mail-in option, United will send the passenger an option to receive a test kit 10 days prior to departure. The passenger would use the test kit at home and return it for analysis 72 hours prior to their flight. The kit should be sent via overnight mail, or can be dropped off to a drop box at the SFO airport.

United Airlines was the first carrier to offer this service in the US.

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