EVANSTON, Ill. -- Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a wearable device that can spot coronavirus symptoms before the person does.

The wireless sensor monitors coughs, fever and respiratory activity. The hope is that the data can help physicians better understand and treat COVID-19.

It looks like a small band-aid, but researchers say the little silicone patch can detect COVID-19 symptoms and record data right to your smartphone or tablet.

“It's a fully wireless battery-operated device that can communicate with any standard Bluetooth-enabled consumer gadget,” said John Rogers, Bioengineering and Neurological Surgery Professor at Northwestern.

The wireless, rechargeable battery-operated device sits just below the suprasternal notch at the base of the throat. From that location, it monitors coughing intensity, respiratory sounds, heartrate and body temperature.

“It's really that subtle motion of the surface of the skin,” said Rogers. “It's almost like a stethoscope in the way you can think about it, but fully digital and wireless in its operation and continuous, in terms of data collection.”

It can be worn 24/7 and produce continuous streams of data using artificial intelligence. All of that data transmits wirelessly to a HIPPA-protected cloud.

“We can determine not only when a cough occurred but whether that cough is a dry cough or a wet cough or whether you're having coughing fits,” said Rogers.

Scientists say the real-time data streaming from patients can give insights into their health not currently being captured or analyzed by traditional monitoring systems.

Another important feature is decontamination.

“Because it's entirely enclosed without any switches or data ports or any kind of openings, it allows us to do very rigorous sterilization, so we immerse these devices in hot alcohol,” said Rogers.

One thing it cannot do is measure blood oxygenation levels – a potentially important early indicator of the disease. But they say the they plan to add that capability to the next round of devices.

The ultimate goal is to be able to catch COVID-19 symptoms early, better understand its onset and progression, and hopefully save lives.

“What we've been able to do is create very thin lightweight soft device platforms that allow mounting on this very sensitive region of the body in a way that sends essentially physically imperceptible,” said Rogers. “So, you put it on and you kind of forget that it's there”

The next step is to find manufacturing partners to scale up production of the device. Rogers says that depending on volume, it could cost less than $100 per device.

NORWOOD, Ohio — A Norwood police officer was honored Friday night after he saved two lives in less than two months. Officer Robert Town said the two incidents took place in a matter of seconds – and it was his own instincts that helped saved two people’s lives.

On January 13, he responded to a woman in distress on the Montgomery Road overpass. He said he could see her feet were off the ground, and lifted up on the railing.

“At that time, another officer was coming southbound on Montgomery,” Town said. “He flipped his sirens on to go through the intersection. That caught her attention. I ran up and grabbed her. Pulled her down”

In a matter of seconds, because of his quick thinking, a woman’s life was saved.

“In the moment, it’s just kind of reactionary,” Town said.

Less than two months later, on March 6, Officer Town and another sergeant responded to a house fire.

“Dispatch advised they could hear someone inside yelling for help,” Town said. “They tried the front door – couldn’t get it open. At that point we’re thinking – someone is in there, we have to get in there.“

Without fire protective gear, he kicked the door down and helped a 14-year-old boy get out of the burning house.

“He was covered in soot. It was so smokey. I thought he was a grown man and directed him out,” Town said. “He told me there was another person in the house, his dad was in there. I tried to look in with the flashlight. So thick, I could only see a foot or two.”

The boy’s father died inside the home. Town said he did everything he could.

“Every single guy on that shift that night was flying to the house I just happened to be the first one there,” he said. “Anyone that got there first would’ve done the same thing I did.”

Town downplayed any sort of heroic action, saying it was another day of doing what he can to help the community.

“It’s just doing my job,” he said. “I don’t really see it as something going above and beyond. That’s what we’re expected to do. That’s what we put the uniform on to do. We get into this job, for the most part, for selfless reasons. To do, sort of, things like this. Every once in a while, you happen to be in the right place at the right time.”