5 Things Your Smartphones Can Do

Technology is really improving,here is a list of what your smartphone can do

1. Test for STDs A dongle or attachment which performs the functions of a lab-based blood test—specifically, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)—to test for HIV antibodies and two types of syphilis antibodies can be plugged in to a smartphone. Researchers have recently tested it in Clinics in Rwanda that work to prevent mother-to-child-transmission and in voluntary counseling and testing centers. It costs just $34 unlike the $18,450 for the original ELISA equipment, this device could aid in early diagnosis and treatment of these illnesses in developing countries.

not yet available for public use)

2. Access your mental health

Researchers at Dartmouth University created an Android app that can analyze the smartphone owner’s state of mind. The app automatically measures your sleep duration, number and length of conversations per day, physical activity, locations and time spent there, stress level, eating habits and more—24/7 and without user interaction. It uses Computational method and machine learning algorithms on the phone then assesses the data and make high-level inferences about sleep, sociability, activity, and other behaviors. The app can be used to provide real-time feedback on safety in schools and stress levels and assess the quality of teaching. It can also be used to monitor mental health, trigger intervention, and improve productivity in the workplace as well.

E.g – Mental Health Test App,

3. Show You Where Gunshots Originated  
Vanderbilt University’s group of Researchers turned an Android smartphone into a simple shooter location system.The smartphone app uses external sensors, with the size of a pack of cards, containing microphones and a processor that detects the gunshot’s acoustic signature and exact time. The processor sends that information to the smartphone, and transmits it to other modules and uses triangulation to pinpoint the origin of the gunshot. It would work out well for the Nigerian Police.

(app not yet released for public use yet

4 Function As A 3D scanner  
The Institute for Visual Computing at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) created an app that lets you scan a 3D object by simply moving your smartphone around it. A 3D model of the object appears on the screen and shows you whether you missed anything. It can also determine the absolute size of the scanned object. You can use this app to capture faces for 3D portraits or simply to copy real-world objects for later study or 3D printing.

E.g – 3DSCANN

(not yet available for public use)

5. Give You Instant Eyeglass Prescriptions  
Having issues with your eyes? Don’t worry, Smart Vision Labs developed the SVOne, a pocket-sized device that can measure the refractive errors in the eye and shows you a digital eyeglass prescription on your smart phone.

The company founders want the app to be used by doctors with multiple offices or limited space and to serve patients who have problems with traditional machinery or have difficulties with mobility. It’ll really work out in many developing countries where millions lack eye care. According to the World Health Organization, 90 percent of the world’s visually impaired people live in low-income settings with no eye doctors available and that uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of moderate and severe visual impairment globally.

E.g – EyeXam