Over a year after the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, healthcare authorities across the globe are keeping infections at bay with digital monitoring tools. Innovation has also picked up pace, thanks to local talent who've come up with a slew of devices to identify covid symptoms, and also to deliver test results quickly.

Breathalysers and devices which can detect positive patients from subtle changes in their voice have been floated by inventors in the Middle East, as more such hassle-free methods are being developed. Joining their peers in neighbouring countries like the UAE, a Turkish duo have created a prototype, which uses AI to flag infections.

The method involves use of a gadget described as an electronic nose, and is kicked off by asking people to blow air inside balloons. The samples are then diverted towards the device, which generates data to be compared with existing PCR results, for identifying covid.

Equipped with experience in use of sensors to dig out cancer and tuberculosis, the researchers have trained AI for comparing the outcomes. This will allow medical workers to easily conduct tests in public spaces including malls and schools, for facilitating a quick diagnosis.

Just like the accelerated move towards technology to fortify healthcare in the Middle East, this invention is also being touted as a tool to fight other diseases in the near future. The modification will simply require information on other serious ailments from patients, and it can be processed via machine learning to upgrade the system.

The scientists who started off by using smart tech to track health of bees, took up the project during the pandemic, and have built a mechanism which spots infections with 90% accuracy.

The region had started resisting covid by installing thermal cameras at airports and malls, to scan crowds for symptoms at the beginning of the pandemic. As of now, Abu Dhabi has introduced portable scanners that can quickly flag risks of an infection, following which people are directed to get a PCR test.