On Nov. 19, 2020, Dallas-based company, Worlds Inc., the U.S. Air Force and Texas A&M University announced a collaboration to develop a breathalyzer device that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect whether individuals should be tested for COVID-19.

Texas A&M System invested $1 million in the project’s development. It assisted Worlds Inc. with engineering and design, prototype building and the mapping of a commercial manufacturing process.

That simple exhaled breath is key to a new device that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect whether individuals should be tested for COVID-19. The sophisticated breathalyzer is being developed and tested through a collaboration among a Dallas-based company, Worlds Inc., the U.S. Air Force and The Texas A&M University System. Called Worlds Protect, the device takes the form of a kiosk where a person uses a disposable straw to blow into a copper inlet. In less than a minute, test results can be sent to the person’s smartphone.

More than 800 individuals were tested with Worlds Protect already at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Brigham Young University (BYU). Results suggested that the accuracy of Worlds Protect is comparable to PCR tests, which are considered the best type of test available for diagnosing COVID-19.

Worlds Protect software also could be engineered to detect other health problems, including future pandemics and bioterrorism threats.