Researchers on the College of Washington have developed GlucoScreen, a smartphone system that may precisely measure blood glucose ranges. The expertise consists of a take a look at strip onto which a person locations a drop of blood. Following an electrochemical response on the strip, the information are transmitted to the smartphone by way of a sequence of faucets on the contact display screen, considerably like Morse code. Cleverly, the take a look at strip is battery-free and as a substitute derives energy from the smartphone digicam flash, and the strip can work with any smartphone with a normal touchscreen (and digicam flash). Thus far, the expertise has been proven to be as correct as normal glucometers, and will help with at-home testing for pre-diabetes.
Prediabetes is a puzzler, with many individuals being utterly unaware that they’ve the situation. Rising entry to diagnostic applied sciences may assist extra individuals to grow to be conscious of their situation, and undertake life-style modifications to keep away from the event of full-blown sort 2 diabetes. This newest expertise goals to just do that by harnessing the ability of the ever present smartphone.
“In standard screening an individual applies a drop of blood to a take a look at strip, the place the blood reacts chemically with the enzymes on the strip. A glucometer is used to research that response and ship a blood glucose studying,” stated Anandghan Waghmare, a researcher concerned within the examine. “We took the identical take a look at strip and added cheap circuitry that communicates information generated by that response to any smartphone by way of simulated tapping on the display screen. GlucoScreen then processes the information and shows the end result proper on the cellphone, alerting the individual if they’re in danger in order that they know to comply with up with their doctor.”
The system doesn’t require a battery, and as a substitute includes attaching a photo voltaic sensor to the smartphone digicam flash. When the cellphone is used to acquire the blood glucose information from the take a look at strip, the app will have interaction the smartphone flash, offering energy to the take a look at strip in order that it might relay the information. Cleverly, the strips communicates with the cellphone haptically, utilizing a sequence of touches on the smartphone touchscreen to relay the information. The info evaluation itself takes place on the cellphone.
“As a result of we use the built-in capacitive contact display screen that’s current in each smartphone, our resolution might be simply tailored for widespread use. Moreover, our method doesn’t require low-level entry to the capacitive contact information, so that you don’t need to entry the working system to make GlucoScreen work,” stated Jason Hoffman, one other researcher concerned within the venture. “We’ve designed it to be ‘plug and play.’ You don’t must root the cellphone — in truth, you don’t must do something with the cellphone, aside from set up the app. No matter mannequin you could have, it would work off the shelf.”
See a video in regards to the expertise under.
Examine in journal Proceedings of the Affiliation for Computing Equipment on Interactive, Cellular, Wearable and Ubiquitous Applied sciences: GlucoScreen: A Smartphone-based Readerless Glucose Test Strip for Prediabetes Screening
By way of: University of Washington
