AI firm Worlds Inc and Texas A&M System have collaborated on breathalyzer kiosks that give a COVID test result in under a minute.

A sophisticated breathalyzer device that uses artificial intelligence and advanced mass spectrometry technology to detect whether a person is COVID positive has been developed and tested by Worlds Inc, the Texas A&M System, and the U.S. Air Force. Housed inside a kiosk, the Worlds Protect device analyses the exhaled breath from an individual. It delivers the COVID test result to a smartphone almost instantly. (Texas A&M Today)

How it works

A person approaches the “Worlds Protect” breathalyzer kiosk and uses a disposable straw to blow into a copper inlet.

Using advanced mass spectrometry technology the apparatus inside the kiosk examines the breath of the person for the specific volatile organic compounds that the body generates when someone has the virus. The chemical analysis from the spectrometry combines with AI software from Worlds Inc to map the chemical code of a body fighting the infection.

After each such test, the device heats the copper inlet and other interior elements for sanitization to prevent contamination.

“People can walk up and, literally, just breathe into the device,” said Chris Rohde, president of Worlds Inc. “It’s completely noninvasive. There’s no amount of touching. And you quickly get a result. You get a yay or nay.”

Rohde and Dave Copps co-founded Worlds Inc.

Further, the Texas A&M System has contributed $ 1 million to the project’s development and is assisting with engineering and design, building a prototype, and plotting a commercial manufacturing process.

Testing Worlds Protect

About 800 people have already conducted tests with Worlds Protect at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Brigham Young University.

Results from these tests are comparable to PCR tests. These are the most comprehensive and accurate testing for diagnosing COVID-19.

“By applying AI, we are able to achieve a high level of accuracy and improve every day as more results are analyzed,” said Copps, CEO of Worlds Inc. “We are using PCR tests as our yardstick to see and understand our progress.”

The key technology behind the device was developed by Guido Verbeck, a doctoral graduate of Texas A&M. He is well-known for the innovative use of mass spectrometry.

Outlook

Copps and Rohde are working with the Food and Drug Administration to obtain Emergency Use Authorization.

The Worlds Protect kiosk could then be placed outside locations that have large groups of people. These could be factories, schools, military bases, and others.

Moreover, SecureAmerica Institute, which has its headquarters on the RELLIS Campus, will assist with the manufacturing of the device

“We could be saving people’s lives, and allow the economy to come back because there’s a way to detect COVID-19 rapidly,” says Rob Gorham, executive director of SecureAmerica. “It means the world — literally.”

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