Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States have just invented the cough Shazam capable of differentiating between a cough caused by a banal laryngitis and a cough which would be the symptom of the coronavirus.
After collecting cough sound samples from more than 4,200 people (including covid patients) between April and May, the researchers developed a smart application capable of establishing a pre-diagnosis of Covid-19 based on “Acoustic biomarkers” specific to each way of coughing. They come to detail on the MIT website, how they put together “the largest sound bank of coughs from COVID-19 patients”.
100% of asymptomatic patients were recognized
Their new technology was then tested on 1,064 new recordings. Their technology would have succeeded in correctly recognizing 98.5% of coughs in confirmed patients and even 100% of asymptomatic patients.
The MIT team is now working on integrating this technology into a mobile application which, if approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, could potentially find its place among tests for Covid-19.
Read also :
- Covid-19: how long are we contagious?
- Covid-19: do you know the 10 barrier gestures?
- Phantom odors: a new symptom of Covid deciphered by a doctor
- Covid-19: several successive waves until spring 2021
- Sore throat: locations, treatments
