US use trained dogs to sniff out Covid cases in schools
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Five schools in Massachusetts, USA, have started using dogs to help look for coronavirus in schools.
Dogs have incredible sense of smell, which is far more developed than human smell and experts have experimented with them in trying to identify many illnesses and diseases.
Also studies have shown that in some cases trained dogs can detect coronavirus more quickly than covid tests.
The sniffer dogs being used in Massachusetts are called Huntah and Duke, and are two young Labradors that have been trained to recognise the smell someone infected with Covid-19 gives off.
The dogs walk around empty classrooms, corridors and the cafeteria after the children have left the room. If they detect the presence of coronavirus they will stop, sit down and put their paw up on the desk or chair they think has the smell.
The school has seating plans for classrooms and lockers and a system of children scanning a barcode at the table they sit at, in the lunch area.
This means they can work out who was sat in the chairs and areas that are identified by the dogs.
Children and staff identified are then tested to confirm if they have virus and follow the school's Covid-19 procedures.
When the dogs aren't working they can meet and play with the pupils, which the younger children really enjoy, says Rick Medeiros, who manages the five schools. According to Mr Medeiros the system is working really well and other schools across the USA have now started using dogs too.
What about the UK?
In the UK experts are also looking at the possibility of using dogs in schools, airports and train stations, according to professor James Logan at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
He told Newsround that specially trained dogs are still going through trials before they will be ready to start sniffing out Covid at places like airports.
This is how the dogs will be trained to try and detect any coronavirus scent
Professor Logan - who works on the research with Durham University and charity Medical Detection Dogs - is also trying to develop technology based on the smell senses of dogs.
He's working on creating devices that can sit in a classroom continually sampling the air and able to send an alert to a mobile phone if coronavirus is detected.
Other developments could include a smartwatch that could tell it's owner if it picks up the scent associated with Covid and even sensors that can be woven into fabric, all inspired by the sensitivity of a dog's nose!