Researchers Developing Rapid At-Home COVID Test That Connects To Your Smartphone

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Researchers are developing a new, rapid COVID-19 test that connects to your smartphone to reveal results at home.

Ever since the pandemic began, researchers in France have been working on a way to test for COVID-19 quickly and accurately.

"Since March, we try to develop a portable device everybody can use at home," said University of Lille Professor Sabine Szunerits.

The research at the French university started, oddly enough, with camels, llamas and alpacas.

Scientists took tiny antibody particles from the animals called nanobodies. After some complicated science, they produced a device that plugs into a smartphone. A nasal or saliva swab is placed onto a strip and if nanobodies come into contact with the virus, the test will know it.

"You start your mobile phone, a signal will occur, and depending on the height of the signal, you can say if you're COVID positive or negative," said Professor Szunerits.

Researchers said initial trials on 300 samples were 90% accurate and delivered in 10 minutes. The next phase of the project is to run a three-month trial on more than 1,000 people.

Creators of the CorDial-1 test say if it receives approval, it'll be cheap once manufacturing begins on a large scale.