Moroccan inventors, including scientists and engineers, have dedicated their efforts towards assisting the country in its fight against COVID-19.
Rabat – A group of Moroccan engineers and doctors have invented an intelligent mask that allows users to detect COVID-19 cases.
The group recently launched an initial version of the intelligent mask for automatic remote detection of the virus (MIDAD), which also serves as protective gear.
The group also invented a tracking application called Trackorona that will accompany the mask. The app offers a method for predicting and diagnosing the virus, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) reported.
The engineers and doctors used several methods to create the intelligent mask, including 3D printing.
MIDAD also has a map and sensors to take temperature and humidity to measure the pressure of the respiratory cycle, the group told MAP.
The mask also measures the amount of oxygen in the blood.
MIDAD is one of the six projects selected in an international competition called “HakingCovid19” organized by HEC Paris and other partners.
The competition received no less than 102 applications, according to Mouhsine Lakhdissi, one of the MIDAD inventors.
The intelligent mask is connected via Bluetooth to the Trackorona app, which tracks users’ movements to determine their compliance with containment and social distancing.
The mask is not required to use Trackorona. The mobile app will soon be available for smartphone owners to download for free.
Trackorona offers a “medically validated self-diagnosis form and innovative technology for detecting the symptoms of the disease by voice,” Lakhdissi said.
The inventor explained that the team took a one month span to develop the intelligent mask and COVID-19 tracking app.
“The idea is the result of a collective reflection within the framework of citizen mobilization in connection with the global pandemic,” Lakhdissi explained.
Moroccan inventors and scientists have been actively contributing to the national efforts to help alleviate the impacts of COVID-19.
Earlier this month, the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences (EMSI) announced that its students have developed three medical inventions that could help fight the spread of COVID-19.
Moroccan medical innovator Hamid El Mouden also invented a potentially life-saving ventilator machine to assist with respiratory distress.
El Mouden told MWN that he came up with the ventilator idea in response to the outbreak of the global pandemic.
A Moroccan named Abdallah Ayache has also developed an invention to assist the country in its anti-coronavirus efforts. Ayache’s invention is a cylindrical-shaped portal in which spinning tubes spray disinfecting products on the person who enters.
The machine is likely to be effective especially in airports, supermarkets, hospitals, and public services.
“This is a gift from me to my country, and I am ready to provide Moroccan officials with all the technical details of its functioning,” Ayache said.