A Software-Powered Cell Phone Microscope That Doesn't Need Special Lenses

Monday, November 9, 2009 - 18:07 in Physics & Chemistry

We know, we know: turning a cell phone camera into a microscope isn't exactly a technological breakthrough. In fact, our Best of What's New coverage last year included the CellScope, a cell phone add-on developed at UC Berkeley packing high-powered optics allowing users to transmit images to far-away health centers for diagnosis. But researchers at UCLA have upped the ante, creating a $10, off-the-shelf microscope addition for cell phones that dispenses with the microscope optics altogether. Dr. Aydogan Ozcan has formed a company, Microskia, to commercialize his innovative approach to microscopy that can cheaply turn nearly any cell phone camera into a diagnostic tool that can detect problems on-site as well as beam data from remote places to far-away hospitals for speedy evaluation. While all that is not necessarily novel -- the CellScope, after all, can help health care workers diagnose tuberculosis or malaria in far-flung corners of the world --...

Read the whole article on PopSci

More from PopSci

Related

Latest Science Newsletter

Get the latest and most popular science news articles of the week in your Inbox!