The word “˜selfie‘ has recently been named the 2013 Word of the Year. Not that we even knew there was a Word of the Year award, but, considering the immense rise of the selfie in 2013, it‘s perfectly understandable.
And now, researchers from Cornell University have come up with an idea that will make taking a selfie a good thing – rather than a vanity affair.
The university‘s team of engineers have come up with a smartphone accessory and accompanying app that transforms your selfie into a cholesterol monitor. So, while you take the perfectly planned seductive selfie, you can also check your cholesterol level. No biggie.
In a paper published in the journal, “˜Lab on a Chip‘, the engineers explain how the whole thing will work. While it sounds like an excellent idea (especially for Americans, where I‘m sure the cholesterol levels are sky high) its a bit more complicated than posing for a picture.
Besides needing an attachment on your smartphone, you will also need a reagent test strip. Which will require you to draw your own blood. Yum.
Generally, cholesterol tests rely on these reagent strips to indicate cholesterol levels. The strips change colour depending on your cholesterol level.
What the engineers did do, however, was to design a physical attachment that needs to be placed over the camera and flash of your smartphone. This will then illuminate the colour of the strip, telling you where your cholesterol is at.
Although not as easy as simply taking a picture and knowing your cholesterol level straight away (without the attachment), it does eliminate the whole “˜going-to-the-doctor‘ excursion.
The researchers have also said that they are working on a smartphone app that can determine the levels of Vitamin D in your body, too. Although this project is yet to see the light.
Healthcare apps have become quite the popular thing lately. Some apps are even able to check your heart rate and your sleep patterns. The US Food and Drug Administration has also said that more than half of the 3.4 billion smartphone and tablet users worldwide, will have downloaded at least one health app, come 2018.
Health apps make diagnosing oneself easier and more accessible; eliminating ridiculous medical fees and waiting for appointments for hours. However, they must just not make every second smartphone owner believe they have a PhD in Medicine now…
Source: Mashable
