Mobile Phone Accessory Can Identify Diseases
Don’t throw away that old Nokia just yet. You can finally live out your dream of curing the sick like Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, thanks to an add-on that can take detailed close-up images and help identify the signs of diseases.
The Cellscope may look like a sniper rifle attachment, but in fact is a fully operational fluorescence microscope, developed by researchers at Berkley University, California.
It also works as a cheap white light microscope, instrumental in the discovery of sickle cell anemia and malaria in the the blood.
The device will be particularly useful in the developing world, where such medical tools might be much tougher t
o come by than an old N79…all that is needed is a standard handset, the Cellscope consists of an attachment which provides the optics and a blood sample holder.
“In many developing world and rural areas, you could be hundreds of miles from hospitals or miles away from power – but the mobile infrastructure is well-established and pretty much blanketing the globe,” said David Breslauer, the lead author of the study.
“So if you can have a portable, battery-operated system to take these images, analyse, and transfer them, you’re creating a portable healthcare clinic. Your doctor can see your samples without actually having to be present.”
With the prototype already working, the team are now aiming to have a more robust, “field ready” model for use.
Tags: mobile phone diseases, mobile phones, N79, Nokia
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