These Glowing Masks Can Tell You If You’re Infected

Researchers in Japan and in the United States are developing coronavirus-detecting masks that not only glow when a person is infected, but double as a testing kit, to better fight the pandemic. 

“We can mass-produce antibodies from ostriches at a low cost,” says lead researcher in the Japanese team, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto. Indeed, ostriches have tough immune systems, and scientists can extract antibodies from eggs without endangering the birds. “In the future, I want to make this into an easy testing kit that anyone can use.”

The mask Japanese researchers are working on has a special filter sprayed with Covid antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs. When a subject has the virus, their mask changes color, even without the help of a black light like it was with an early prototype. As for scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, their mask will have sensors embedded that can detect the virus. Since people are already used to wearing a mask on a daily basis, everyday testing could also become a habit.