Swabon

With the help of Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Nigeria Center for Disease control, we've created the first of its kind, fastest and reliable covid-19 testing device on the continent. This testing device, Swabon, which allows people to test for the covid-19 virus in less than 20 minutes is fitted with additional features that also allows live contact tracing of the virus and usage of the device. The device will help in quadrupling testing efforts and also prevent further spread.

Unlike the popular PCR test, which is quite expensive in the country and cost about $50 per test especially if you want to travel out of a particular country like Nigeria and delivers results in 24 hours, Swabon is cheaper, can be reused and delivers results in 20 minutes. 

The device is designed to be replicated for every region in Africa or any area where there is a pandemic

Swabon seeks to solve the problem of affordable and quick testing of Pandemics in developing nations in Africa.  Kenya which is one of the biggest nation in East Africa is experiencing third wave and according to the country's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, he positivity rate had risen from two per cent in January, to 13 per cent and "is still rising" and with the deadly Indian Variant said to have been found in places like South Africa, Swabon will be crucial in early detection to prevent further spread.

Furthermore, according to the Corona Virus Global Response, the Antigen Rapid test like Swabon is better than the Molecular tests in three areas, Speed, Throughput, and Cost and given the fact that no single diagnostic test is perfect for all uses, Africa cannot continue to rely solely on the PCR test

Swabon is a low-cost, reusable and multi-faceted device that allows people to self-test for the Covid-19 virus, track in real time which areas are safe and unsafe to go to, and also allow health organisations/bodies to get real time data of the usage of the devices and spreader locations.

Our first focus is on Nigerians aged 18-45 years old as they make up the majority of population and the country's work force and are the main spreaders of the virus with  majority being asymptomatic. By testing those within this age bracket as quickly as possible with Swabon, we can help reduce the spread of the virus drastically and also help ease the equitable dissemination of the vaccine based on accurate data provided by the Swabon mobile app and Web app. The device is affordable with it costing less than 10% of the country's minimum wage and is attached with a free mobile app for them to see in real time which areas are safe and unsafe for them to be. Furthermore,  with our collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, this collaboration can help us get the device in the hands of many and more testing done.

Our problem, solution and the target population are aligned with the objectives of this challenge.  With Swabon, we can ease the burden off front-line workers and the disease agencies in carrying out tests, distributing vaccines equitable and detecting future virus early with accurate data to manage the spread. The target population are youths who have a strong immune system and don't think much of the virus and pose a risk to the older population when they don't get tested or get the vaccine. With Swabon, they can self-test and get the vaccine thereby saving themselves and their elderly ones.

We are at the prototype stage because we have built out all the aspects of the solution and the device itself is currently undergoing verification with the Nigerian Centre for Disease control before we proceed to mass usage.

The Swabon solution is innovative. Innovative because it is a hybrid device that combines testing, live tracking (for both users and external bodies), and multiple-usage in one, unlike other solutions which tend to perform this solution separately. Also, the device is very affordable especially for the middle and lower class in developing nations, and can be used to test for future pandemics that might afflict the continent or country.

We currently are not serving anyone but we intend to use our collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease control as our soft-launch pilot.  By the end of June of this year, we plan to produce at least 2,000 of these devices to provide maximum quality.  In the first three years, we plan on doubling and even quadrupling in the final year the production of the devices and we intend to serve this time, 1-2 other countries apart from Nigeria  Once we have established a stronghold, we will expand to more countries and produce more devices for other viruses and allow the use of our API by devices that replicate or use similar technology

Some of our targets for Swabon include;

1) Increase testing efforts in Africa and one of the core indicators of this is our ability to increase the total number of tests carried out in Nigeria by at least 20-30%

2) Help to bolster Home-to-home Vaccination and one of the indicators of this is our ability to get the devices in at least 20 out of the 36 states in Nigeria, and accurately track all the devices.

3) Boost government Investment in R&D and for us, a major indicator is to implement R&D supporting policies and give organizations like national information technology development agency the powers to help fund organizations and access to more resources in a country like Nigeria to help develop and create more version of our devices to protect against future pandemics.

5 Fulltime

5 part-time

3 Advisors/Volunteers

Our team is well-positioned to deliver this solution because of the successful track record of working in the fields of Epidemiology, process Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Marketing. One of our team members is a Phd holder and specialises in Epidemology and has a lab that works with the Kenya Medical Research Institute, which enabled us get the Immuno Assay used in the device.

Another member was a winner of an MIT grant in 2020 for his invention of of affordable mechanical ventilator for Covid patients.  In terms of marketing, we have a team member who has worked with companies whose clientele includes but not restricted to Hewlett Packard, Apple and Microsoft.

We also have a member who has worked as an Audit associate at both Price Water Coopers and KPMG.

Other members have years of experience in software programming, mobile applications, and Artificial Intelligence. As a team, we satisfactorily cover all the aspects need to make Swabon work

Our team is very diverse as it is made up of people from 3 continents; Asia, Africa and Europe. We have a team member from India, and some team members from Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana, and also team members from the United Kingdom.

Swabon is the true definition of a global project.

Currently one of our advisors is a female Ph.D. holder who specializes in Epidemiology and is one of the core contacts with the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

And we also have a financial expert who is also female and has had experience in two of the world's largest auditing firms.

Solve will provide the resources that our organization needs to adequately develop more prototypes  If chosen, we plan to use about $8,000-$9,000 for the setting up of an assembly station and the production of at least 30 prototypes while using the remainder for supplies, licensing, and any other expenses. 

An ideal partner in this solution will be able to provide product distribution support to help us in improving our reach and impact.  Although we already have plans in place for this, we could benefit from having other experts share their expertise to help improve our process

Also, as stated earlier, we require an expert who can help us in connecting with potential investors and help our path to successful funding.

We really do not have any specific organizations in mind at the moment but we are willing to partner with organizations that is interested and are skilled in this area of expertise. By getting connected to partners that align with our journey and our objective, will enable us to achieve desired impact easier and faster through connecting to a new market or client base or consultation/recommendations, and data to improve our products

The Swabon mobile and Web app leverage the use of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics to help normal users know their status in time by translating the results from the device and also help users, organizations (public and private) to monitor the status and spread of the virus using the data transmitted from the use of the device.