Since Corona, everyone has probably come into contact with a rapid test for checking viral load. A new device called COMPASS promises much faster and more effective testing than conventional methods. It was developed by researchers at Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg in cooperation with Erlangen University Hospital. Unlike time-consuming PCR tests, for example, COMPASS delivers a result after just 0.1 seconds. Either via the device's display or in digital form on smartphones. The significant difference in test time comes from the use of magnetic particles. Dr. Patrick Vogel and Dr. Kerstin Knies (both JMU) and Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Friedrich from the Erlangen ENT Clinic explain exactly how this works and where the device could be used.