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From New Electronics Magazine inthe UK
26 February 2021
'NanoArtificial Nose' used to test for COVID-1BrainChip,a specialist in high performance artificial intelligence technology, hasannounced progress in testing with the NaNose (Nano Artificial Nose) wherepatients’ exhaled breath samples were tested for COVID-19.
The NaNose Medical technology isbased on the artificial nose developed at the Technion Israel Institute ofTechnology, which has the same sensitivity to minute quantities of VolatileOrganic Compounds (VOCs) as a dog’s nose.
It has been used in tests since 2017to identify diseases including Parkinson's, cancers, kidney failure, multiplesclerosis and infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
NaNose Medical collected samples from130 patients and sent nanomaterial sensor data to BrainChip’s ResearchInstitute in Perth, Western Australia, which configured and trained its Akidaneuromorphic processor to interpret the data using AI/ML.
The system detected the instances ofCOVID-19 between a disease group and a healthy control group and Akida learnedto recognise patterns of VOC biomarkers associated with an infection withinseconds with a high level of accuracy in a minimal time frame.
NaNose Medical is currentlycollecting samples from three primary worldwide locations and will work withBrainChip to evaluate the data.
Breath sensor data tends to be moreaccurate than the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testtypically used. Accurate testing is key at early stages, even before symptomsmanifest, and after treatment before patients are discharged into theircommunities.
Using the NaNose Medical sensor array to collect the data, and the Akidaprocessor to perform the diagnosis, its possible to achieve a higher rate ofreliability than current testing methods and poses less risk to medicalprofessionals because no saliva or mucus samples are collected. COVID-19 isknown to be spread through respiratory droplets, and more recently has beenconfirmed to be airborne.
Because Akida’s “Edge AI” is acomplete neural processor that does not require an external CPU, memory, orDeep Learning Accelerator (DLA), and because it is ultra-low power, it's seenas lending itself to helping create an inexpensive hand-held diagnostic testingtool akin to a breathalyzer.
“Artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare is an emerging field andone in which we are eager to contribute with our edge AI processing solution atthe Edge, for the benefit of science and humanity,” said Louis DiNardo,BrainChip CEO. Both Louis DiNardo, Brainchip CEO and Orit Marom Albeck, NaNoseMedical CEO said: “Using the NaNose Medical artificial nose, and Akida’sartificial brain, is a potential breakthrough in accurate, fast, inexpensive,widespread testing with the potential to control outbreaks and reduce thisdisease’s death toll.”
https://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/nano-artificial-nose-used-to-test-for-covid-19-1/234954/
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