Lancaster University is behind a new coronavirus test kit that will give results in less than half an hour.
The university has teamed up with Brunel University London and the University of Surrey to create what they describe as an 'inexpensive, rapid, diagnostic test kit' to let people know if they have Covid-19 within a 30 minute time frame.
And it is now being created in partnership with GB Electronics (UK) Ltd, Inovo Robotics and Unique Secure, which are helping the fast track development of the testing kit before it can be made available to the general public.
The hope is that the testing kit, which will be portable, will carry out six highly accurate tests every 30 minutes and could be used in areas with large concentrations of people, such as care homes, sizeable employers and airports.
The results from the current virus detection tests normally take several hours to process.
Henry Woods, co-founder of Inovo Robotics, said: “We are very pleased to be involved in this important work with the three universities.
"Many vulnerable people around the world have had limited or no access to fast Covid-19 virus testing during the pandemic, we see the potential to make a real difference in limiting the spread of the virus through this technology.
"We will be using our commercial experience in electronics design and manufacturing to bring a robust and scalable product to market as quickly as possible."
Mr Woods added: "We also intend to lever our expertise in robotics and automation to further help with sample processing and handling in the future.
"This would increase throughput further while removing operators from the hazard of potential infection - a key technology adapting our ways of working to live with Covid-19 in the long term.”
Professor Wamadeva Balachandran from Brunel University London said: "There remains an urgent need to develop testing for COVID-19 which is quick and inexpensive. This will enable those who test positive to self-isolate as quickly as possible, helping to reduce the spread of the virus.
"I am delighted that GB Electronics, Inovo Robotics and Unique Secure have joined us on this exciting project, their expertise will help accelerate the development of this test on a mass scale to minimise loss of lives."
