Smartphones as Medical Tools: The Latest Technologies and Innovations

2023-06-09 22:00:47

The capabilities of smart phones have changed a lot since the launch of the first iPhone from Apple in 2007, a device that shocked and revolutionized the world of mobile phones at the time.

Smartphones have become indispensable today, not only because they are a means of communication with the circle of acquaintances and friends, but because they have turned over the years into more than one vital device in one palm-sized device, through which we record the most beautiful moments, share memories on communication platforms, enjoy games and watch entertainment content, But more than that it has become a way to monitor our health.

One area where the ubiquitous mobiles have shown an incredible amount of accuracy is in medical diagnostics. They are becoming so advanced that they can early detect diabetes, measure female fertility rates or even detect skin cancers.

Smartphone turns into an early detection tool for diseases

The power of smartphones is increasing day by day, along with high-quality cameras and an ever-evolving array of sensors that make promises in terms of medical care. In a report published by the newatlas website, it monitors the latest technologies in the world of smart phones and how they have become medically useful for detecting a large number of diseases. Here are some examples.

First: the field of female fertility

One of the important and vital areas for women, especially for those who want to conceive, knowing when a woman ovulates can be a major key to pregnancy, and therefore a small test and taking a sample of saliva on a smartphone can decide the matter. This technology was developed by scientists at Brigham Hospital and has been practically tested in 2018, offering a potential alternative to urine tests or basal body temperature analysis as a method of measuring fertility.

Second: type 2 diabetes

One of the most common diseases, a study takes a look at this and presents promising results in which a smartphone was used to detect type 2 diabetes as accurately as a medical machine, using a camera. This technique takes advantage of photogrammetry (PPG), a technique in which changes in blood volume can be detected by shining light on tissue.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, with the help of a smartphone camera and flash, to detect diabetes in three groups of people under tests. This technology was able to detect diabetes in regarding 80% of people.

Smartphone turns into an early detection tool for diseases

Third: concussion

It is a difficult medical condition that these smartphones were able to detect in an amazing way through eye looks, as irregular movements or the inability to track moving objects can be a sure indication of brain injury. In 2017, scientists at the University of Washington developed a concussion detection app called PupilScreen, which might be on smartphones.

Fourth: pancreatic cancer

Through the addition of some technologies, the mobile phone can be able to know and diagnose pancreatic cancer, through eye movements that capture early signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease whose symptoms often do not appear until its very late stages, following it is too late for treatment. The smartphone application was also developed in University of Washington as a potential screening tool for the condition by detecting signs of jaundice, an early symptom of pancreatic cancer.

Fifth: AIDS and syphilis

It is one of the deadliest diseases, yet the smartphone can detect it with amazing accuracy, by adding a “dongle”, that is, a small electronic piece that is attached to the phone to provide it with additional functions other than what it can perform.

In 2015, scientists at Columbia University developed a plastic dongle to detect HIV and syphilis that paired with a smartphone, by displaying a drop of blood on the strip that might detect antibodies to both conditions, needing only a drop of the patient’s blood to do so.

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