This New Blood Testing Method Uses Your Smartphone's Display
Rahul Kalvapalle — March 18, 2014 — Tech
References: actu.epfl.ch & gizmodo
Swiss researchers are developing technology that could see smartphone screens used to conduct blood testing on patients.
Patients with certain blood disorders need to make frequent trips to the hospital to undergo tests monitoring their condition. This is tiresome for patients and also uses up precious hospital resources. To address this, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have come up with a portable blood test that relies on smartphone displays.
Smartphone capacitative touchscreens maintain a constant electric charge that is actually disrupted when your finger touches the screen. This property can be manipulated to conduct blood tests. The researchers developed a super-thin film which can be placed on a smartphone display. When a drop of blood is introduced, it coagulates and disrupts the touchscreen's electrical field in a way that can be analyzed by an accompanying app. The results can then me immediately sent to a doctor.
The film is still being researched, but its inventors are hoping that it will be ready for use in 2015.
Patients with certain blood disorders need to make frequent trips to the hospital to undergo tests monitoring their condition. This is tiresome for patients and also uses up precious hospital resources. To address this, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have come up with a portable blood test that relies on smartphone displays.
Smartphone capacitative touchscreens maintain a constant electric charge that is actually disrupted when your finger touches the screen. This property can be manipulated to conduct blood tests. The researchers developed a super-thin film which can be placed on a smartphone display. When a drop of blood is introduced, it coagulates and disrupts the touchscreen's electrical field in a way that can be analyzed by an accompanying app. The results can then me immediately sent to a doctor.
The film is still being researched, but its inventors are hoping that it will be ready for use in 2015.
Trend Themes
1. Portable Blood Testing - The development of super-thin films that can be placed on smartphone displays to conduct blood tests presents an opportunity for portable and convenient healthcare diagnostics.
2. Disruptive Healthcare Technology - Using smartphone displays for blood testing disrupts the traditional method of requiring patients to make frequent hospital visits, saving time and hospital resources.
3. Smartphone-enabled Medical Diagnostics - The integration of smartphone touchscreen technology with blood testing offers an innovative solution for remote medical diagnostics and monitoring.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can leverage portable blood testing technology on smartphones to improve patient experience and optimize resource allocation.
2. Mobile Technology - The mobile technology industry can explore the potential of smartphone display blood testing as a new value-added feature for smartphones.
3. Biotechnology - The biotechnology industry can invest in the development and manufacturing of super-thin film technology for smartphone-based blood testing applications.
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