Rourkela: As Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread across the world and countries like India are bracing up to fight the pandemic, screening of the infection is the most vital part of combating the infectious disease that has so far claimed more than 5000 lives globally. A research scholar in Rourkela has now claimed to have developed a mobile application which can help people self-detect traces of infection.
A PHD scholar of National Institute of Technology in Rourkela named Vineet Kumar claimed to have designed the app which could help in self-screening of Coronavirus infection.
Speaking about his app, Vineet said, “The preliminary step for screening of the disease is thermal detection. So our application is based on an IR Sensor thermal camera which transcripts the whole body temperature of any suspected person to create a profile. It is then matched with the standard temperature profile of an infection-hit body to give us any first-hand information if the person has any abnormality.”
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It may be noted that at present, the standard method of diagnosis for the Coronavirus is by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) carried out on the nasopharyngeal swab or throat swab of an infected patient.
“Although it is a not a comprehensive testing method, it can be definitely used as a first-step identification of any suspected cases,” claimed the NIT scholar.
Further explaining the working of his application, Vineet said, “Basically we have synchronised a face-locker infrared camera with the standard profile containing detection parameters of a Coronavirus patient in our app. So when a person clicks a photograph using the application, if it shows green colour then the person does not have to worry but if the indicator shows red, the person should go for detailed screening as it may be a case of infection."
While endorsing the application for public use, Kumar said, “I hope that the government supports us and authorizes the app so that it can be installed for mass detection of suspected cases at major sensitive points like railway stations.
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