Making medical instruments out of iPhones

Consumer electronics drive so much more than the economy, they also push forward on the frontiers of science and technology in remarkable ways. Powerful mobile computers with a variety of sophisticated sensors built in, are rapidly becoming common in the pockets and purses of everyday people. But they can do more than just play your favourite music and videos, surf the internet or play games, they can function as important scientific tools as well.

Smart phones have been adapted to work as ultrasound imaging devices, they are being used to gather masses of data in psycholinguistic experiments and now they are being developed into cheap alternatives for medical apparatus that is otherwise unavailable in some parts of the world.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have modified iPhones to be used as microscopes and spectrometers^† . A cheap lens placed in front of the camera gives it the magnifying power to record some impressive images of the microscopic world inside biological samples. A little bit of data processing is necessary to correct for imperfections in the optical system, but coupled with the resolution and sensitivity of the camera's detector, it is possible to identify different blood cells types.

A rudimentary diffraction grating formed from slits in black electrical tape, was found to be quite effective at turning the camera into a simple spectrometer, by splitting the light reflected from a sample into its constituent wavelengths. With improvement, the scientists hope their device can be used to help diagnose diseases by spotting the spectral markers of chemicals that reveal their presence.