The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) is helping Serba Dinamik IT Solutions to develop an app that can detect COVID-19 infections from the sound of your cough. The COVID-19 screening tool is being assisted by MOSTI’s Sandbox Innovation and National Technology (NTIS), which is the ministry’s initiative to fund and develop innovative tech products.
Minister Dr Adham Baba said that the app uses a simple “plug-and-play” concept where individuals only need to download the app and it will ask to record the sound of the user coughing three times in a row. Facial recognition will also be used to verify the user’s identity.
MOSTI claimed that it will only take 30 seconds to receive the results. After which, those who are found to be positive will be required to take an RT-PCR or rapid antigen test for further confirmation. The minister added that it is still under development and did not give a timeline on when this app will be launched.
The ministry is also working with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to develop a cheaper and faster screening alternative called i-Breath. This device will use AI to detect the presence of COVID-19 in a person’s breath through their nose, which sounds similar to the breathalyzer test approved in Singapore, except theirs require users to breathe through their mouth.
Baba also brought up the previously announced contact tracing system which will apparently use a Bluetooth dongle, similar to Singapore’s TraceTogether tokens. The minister said that they’re still working out the kinks such as data privacy and determining the specifications to ensure interoperability with MySejahtera.
(Source: Parlimen [16 November 2021])
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