Specialized App Makes iPhone Perform Like a $50,000 Spectrophotometer

Engineers at the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL) announced the development of a new iPhone-based system that can run real-time tests for medical diagnostics, food safety and environmental toxins. By leveraging the iPhone's high-end camera and a series of cradle-based optics, the device can detect bacteria, viruses, toxins and more. The research breakthrough is further evidence of the use of consumer-technology to help bring down the costs of medical imaging.

Since the new device will carry a substantially lower price tag than its competitors, it could be used as a powerful biosensor in developing countries, testing for health threats like groundwater contamination. Since the iPhone app can pull data from the phone's GPS receiver, it's possible to tie location data to tested samples. Based on this, field technicians could easily create a localized map of health threats.

The device's cradle contains a photonic crystal. Similar to a mirror, the photonic crystal reflects only certain light wavelengths. When biological matter like DNA, pathogens, cells or protein attaches to the crystal, the reflected color shifts in a quantifiable way.

"We're interested in biodetection that needs to be performed outside of the laboratory," stated Brian T. Cunningham, an engineering professor who led the creation of the device. "Smartphones are making a big impact on our society - the way we get our information, the way we communicate. And they have really powerful computing capability and imaging. A lot of medical conditions might be monitored very inexpensively and noninvasively using mobile platforms like phones."