A Smartphone can also be used as a tool for diagnosing illnesses which can monitor bone density, calculate red blood cell levels and even predict if an asthma attack is imminent, researchers say.
Professor Shwetak Patel, of the University of Washington, is currently devising an app which can detect red blood cell levels simply by placing a finger over the camera and flash, so that a bright beam of light shines through the skin. Such a blood screening tool could quickly spot anaemia, a Daily Telegraph report said.
“You can use the microphone to diagnose asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder). With these enabling technologies you can manage chronic diseases outside of the clinic and with a non-invasive clinical tool,” Patel told the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston recently.
