Pentagon develops hydrogel sensor which detects coronavirus infection

Pentagon scientists have developed a hydrogel sensor that can detect pathogens such the COVID-19 virus in a person's body before they start showing symptoms, The Daily Mail reports.

The hydrogel sensor is inert, and is able to check factors in the blood, such as oxygen levels, which can indicate that a pathogen is present in the blood. It is able to relay information, such as molecular changes.

The scientists also developed what is described as a "check engine light" for your body.

"You put it underneath your skin and what that tells you is that there are chemical reactions going on inside the body, and that signal means you are going to have symptoms tomorrow," said retired Colonel Matt Hepburn. "It's like a 'check engine' light."

The technology was developed after sailors aboard the USS Roosevelt tested positive for coronavirus and the military struggled with effective containment.

"Sailors would get the signal, then self-administer a blood draw and test themselves on-site," Hepburn said, noting that results would come within just five minutes.

The FDA has already approved of the use of the filter, and it has reportedly been used to treat nearly 300 critically ill patients. One patient who received the treatment, who was suffering from organ failure, made a recovery within just four days.