Wireless Microscope

UCLA electrical and bioengineering professor Aydogan Ozcan led a research group to produce a lens-less microscope that can scan a blood smear for cell counts and diagnose disease.  Light from an LED bulb passes through a slide and image-processing software measures how the light diffracts to determine cellular features.  The light-sensing chip then sends data through a USB cable to a cell phone (most of which now have the calculating capability to assemble an image).  This device can produce a resolution equivalent to a 40X microscope lens, and the cost is around $3.              MORE

Image Credit: Aydogan Ozcan and Technology Review