Scientist's Hack Analyzes Blood and Scans Cells

Dr. Aydogan Ozcan at UCLA has created a disease-detecting cell phone by hacking a Sony Ericsson w810i camera phone. Using a filtered light source, the hacked cell phone captures images of cells that are then analyzed on a desktop computer.

According to Wired, Ozcan’s technology allows the hacked cell phone to detect specific diseases like malaria or count CD4+T cells to monitor an HIV patient’s health.

Dr. Aydogan Ozcan hopes that in the near future his technology can be loaded into a hand-held device and produce results with no need for a computer. This incredible discovery could help doctors solve health problems quickly and be very helpful in the less-industrialized world.