This question is without regard to engineering, chemical and biological questions included in it. A universal testing device, small, light, portable and inexpensive to make, plugs into cell phone. Powered by the cell phone battery, saving size, weight and cost. A phone app would manage the device. App and device can be updated and modified. Results per cell phone, with a coded signature, would upload to regional centers where data both specific and agglomerated would be analyzed. The idea is to use the infrastructure of the existing cell phone network and towers to enable fast, perhaps daily, updates on the location and rate of transmission of a virus. By algorithmic uploading of data, computers could complete various tasks of analysis expediting society’s response.
The network and uploading devices are already in place and humanity has the computing power. What is missing is a micro testing unit.
Another advantage of such a system is that the app can be updated and modified. In particular, it could function as a line of defense against a viral epidemic, with the app and dongle updated or modified for new viral break outs.
The goal of such a set up is to provide comprehensive detection of infectious citizens, and thereby protect them, the health care system and the economy.
The cost might be billions, but still less than the trillions cost in lives lost, health damaged, sociality fractured, and economies shattered.
Is it possible? Are you able to ask them?
Economist April 23rd 2020 edition:
How to build and deploy testing systems at unprecedented scale — Countries will have to do it to end their lockdowns safely
“a massive increase in testing capacity—creating a system that can test millions of people a day for the virus—will be needed to get the place out of lockdown safely. A testing system of this kind has never been built before. It will be expensive, costing tens, possibly hundreds of billions of dollars in America alone.”
Then why not use the existing infrastructure of cell phone and cell phone towers and related hardware to create a device powered by cell phones that can test cell phone owners and members of their family, depending on the design of hardware and software, on a daily or even hourly basis.
Instead of creating an expensive testing infrastructure at a cost of many billions of dollars, instead have a massive engineering and research effort to create a small testing device. Humanity has 3D printers, experience with micro-electronics, computing power, some familiarity with nano-technology and advanced genetic investigation techniques. Instead of spending a lot of money on building infrastructure, perhaps spend the money on invention.
What would the device you propose test? It would not test the presence of the virus in a person. And given the limited range of the virus interpersonally, it would need to have a way to measure the virus in the air when in modestly close contact with another person. At present, the only testing possible involves nasal swabs. So it is unclear what would be measure and how it would work.
Tom Koch,
Thank you for the reply. Your points are appreciated.
I had thought maybe 2 or 3 drops of blood could be tested.
Really the question is too specific. A better question is: is there a way to use cellphones and related infrastructure to conduct mass simultaneous testing for a virus? What would be tested and how it would be tested are questions, and it is possible that such mass testing using cell phones is not practical or feasible. The gist of the idea is that cell phones as an existing society-wide infrastructure could permit faster and cheaper implementation if a means of inexpensive testing were possible that could use cell phone apps for obtaining and uploading data.
Preprint on medRxiv,
Saliva is more sensitive for SARS-CoV-2 detection in COVID-19 patients than nasopharyngeal swabs.
10.1101/2020.04.16.20067835
Test saliva not blood?
This past week (today is May 6, 2020), I noticed some articles suggesting that spit might contain markers for COVID-19. Might spit be testable using a cell phone dongle?
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