Move over dogs sniffing out coronavirus, scientists develop device that identifies COVID-19

Over two days of testing the samples, the researchers found the sensors were able to distinguish between infected and uninfected samples, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection has a distinct odour.

London: Electronic devices may soon be used to identify the presence of infection in a crowded space using body odour profiles after scientists in the UK have tested a so-called "COVID alarm". Early studies by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University show that COVID-19 infection has a distinct smell, resulting from changes in the volatile organic compounds (VOC) which make up the body odour generating an odour "fingerprint" that the sensors can detect. Led by researchers from the LSHTM and biotech company RoboScientific Ltd with Durham University, the study tested devices with organic semi-conducting (OSC) sensors, which could potentially be used as a COVID-19 screening tool.