LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A group of researchers say they’re using technology to protect you from COVID-19, all while protecting paradise. They’re using jellyfish to do it.
It’s as simple as flipping a switch. The device using jellyfish proteins and as soon as they make contact with coronavirus particles, they light up.
Particles like carbon dioxide pass through the square device that could hang on a wall. Inside are antibodies and proteins from jellyfish that light up when they’re touched by COVID-19 particles, and send a signal to the system.
It’s designed for places where people come and go frequently, like restaurants. Senseware CEO Serene Al-Momen says the system receives the signal within minutes.
“If a threat is detected, there is an immediate action a person can take to ensure the safety and the health of its employees,” she said.
Retired marine educator Bruce Neill says infusing nature with technology is the way to go in the fight against COVID-19, but that doesn’t take away the need for mask wearing.
“That doesn’t really help us who are sitting in the restaurant at that moment when that person walked in if we’re not wearing- and more importantly - if they’re not wearing masks,” said Neill.
The Washington D.C. company Senseware has a background in air quality monitory. But they’re still a few steps away from getting Neill to buy their new product.
“I would want to see that there’s checks and balances in place, that it had been tested by independent laboratories,”
Senseware is looking for a third-party like a hospital to test their device before making it available nationwide. Neill says he’d also like to see it approved by federal agencies like the CDC’s infectious disease national centers.
