Cloud computing presents an array of potential uses in many engineering domains, including medical. Technology makes it possible to deliver disease screening to remote areas of the globe where conventional medical tools are unavailable — and now, that technology is taking advantage of the cloud, as shown by a research project taking place at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA . Researchers have developed a compact, cost-effective rapid diagnostic test-reading device that works with standard cell phones and eliminates the need for manual decision-making. Its connectivity to the cloud may help global health professionals understand the spread and prevalence of infectious diseases all across the globe.
Rapid diagnostic tests, or RDTs, are generally small strips on which blood or fluid samples are placed; changes in the color of the strip indicate the presence of infection. While the advantages are significant, they can also present problems, since they are currently read by eye, inviting the possibility of human error. The RDT reader is designed to eliminate that possibility.
The RDT-reader attachment clips onto a cell phone and includes an inexpensive lens, three LED arrays, and two AAA batteries. The platform has the ability to read nearly every type of RDT. An RDT strip is inserted into the attachment, and with the help of the cell phone's existing camera unit and a special smartphone application, the strip is converted into a digital image. The platform then reads the digitized RDT image to determine whether the test is valid and what the results are (positive or negative). Because the color changes in conventional RDTs don't last more than a few hours in the field, this new system also offers the added benefit of allowing storage of the digitized image. The RDT-reader platform then wirelessly transmits the test results to a global server, which processes them, stores them, and creates maps charting the spread of various diseases and conditions, both geographically and over time.
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