New smart device-enabled diagnostics concept unveiled

Smartphones and tablets could be used for in vitro diagnostic testing through the use of new technology developed by a UK-based company.

42 Technology in Cambridgeshire has created a concept called inVi that will allow point of care tests to be created using a smartphone or tablet, meaning accurate, repeatable tests can be carried out without the expense of dedicated reading equipment.

It takes advantage of the multiple embedded sensing technologies that exist in all smartphones, such as using touchscreens to detect when a user has successfully positioned a test cartridge, or the accelerometer to verify that the user has performed sufficient shaking to achieve a required degree of reagent mixing.

Previous approaches have been limited to using the phone's camera to read the colour of a test strip, or employing the touchscreen simply as a user interface for another piece of connected equipment.

Andrew Chapman, head of 42 Technology's healthcare business, said: "inVi will help diagnostic companies to target significant new market opportunities, without having to invest the time and resources in developing their own reading equipment."

The creators are now actively seeking commercial partners to help develop the core technology and approach.