VIRUS DETECTION AND MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS STUDENT PROJECTS FOR THE INTERNET OF MEDICAL THINGS

The importance of medical diagnostics, and specifically, tests for infectious agents such as viruses, is well recognized, and in fact, are a crucial component of efforts to control pandemics and mitigate their effects on public health. A long-established trend is the development of low-cost, easy-to-use point-of-care (POC) diagnostics to provide pervasive, timely testing independent of laboratories and other medical infrastructure. The technology of POC tests is widely accessible to engineering students, and there are many opportunities and avenues for innovation, including Smartphone-based platforms and integration with the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). We discuss the design, demonstration, and testing of POC virus testing, including tests applicable to COVID-19, as Senior Design Projects for undergraduate mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineering majors.