How to Turn your iPhone into a Microscope

       CellScope is a UC Berkeley project designed to enable microscopic image captures from a cell phone’s camera. At first it might sound like a pointlessly geeky project to do microscopy on a cell phone, but in fact it has important applications for mobile health services in remote areas. In some areas of sub-Saharan Africa and other developing areas of the world, access to health care of any kind is scarce, and it often falls upon poorly-equipped doctors or volunteers to take up the slack.

Since health care equipment is generally expensive to begin with, outfitting even a low-power microscope with a wireless transmitter capable of communicating with doctors at a remote location could easily run into the thousands of dollars. Not only that, but the equipment itself would likely be bulky, temperamental, and easily damaged. That's where CellScope comes in. Via an attachment, CellScope can turn a standard cell phone camera into a 5x to 50x microscope, essentially creating a miniaturized blood lab that can capture images and transmit them far more cheaply than traditional equipment.
The iPhone 4 pictured above  isn't the first mobile phone to be hooked into the CellScope rig, but with its high-quality camera and extensive photo sharing abilities, it might end up being the best mobile device for the job. Plus, viewing microscopic images on a Retina Display sounds like a great alternative to peering into one of those microscope eyepieces. This obviously won't replace traditional setups in a fully-equipped laboratory, but for the kind of remote and rural applications that CellScope covers, it sounds like an ideal solution.

Smartphone vs. Traditional Microscope: Plant Matter

These are stained samples of pollen (left images) and plant stems (right two images). Top row: commercial microscope. Bottom row: cell phone microscope

Smartphone vs. Traditional Microscope: Polarized Light

                    These are images of a sugar crystal taken through polarized light filters. Left: 
                                 traditional microscope. Right: cell phone microscope


The CellScope clips easily to a cell phone via a modified belt clip. Illumination is provided by a ring of low-cost, low-power, high-brightness white LEDs, powered by a battery attached to the device. It can be angled to fully illuminate a sample at the focal point.
Originally the idea for the CellScope began with Daniel Fletcher, a professor of bioengineering at Berkeley, who challenged his students to develop a camera phone microscope. The team is working now on another version of the CellScope to be used in more developed countries. With the CellScope, for example, cancer patients may be able to perform critical tasks, such as blood cell counts, at home and send in the data, avoiding the need to make stressful trips to hospital.



http://cellscope.berkeley.edu/
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/09/turn-iphone-coolest-microscope-10
http://www.earthtimes.org/scitech/app-for-that-turn-iphone-medical-imager/1456/

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Breast Cancer iPhone App Enlists Hunky Men to Remind Women About Self-Examination

A breast cancer app for iPhone, as well as Android, in which hunky men remind women to self-examine will be available in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Canadian charity Rethink Breast Cancer (RBC) has come up with an app called "Your Man Reminder."
Women can choose from six stereotypical male hunks, including the Boy Next Door, the Sports Jock, and the Business Man. A woman's hunk will pop up on her smartphone on a regular basis and remind her to do a self-exam. He will also offer her words of encouragement, such as "Give your breasts some TLC." TLC is breast awareness code for the words touch, look and check. Women can even choose the pose they want their man to make. The app will also offer scheduling options for doctors' appointments and a "signs and symptoms" tab, among other conveniences.

    Tracie Snitker, who works for the public relations firm promoting the app, said Your Man Reminder targets young women who give little thought to breast cancer detection. "It's not a lot of fun to remind yourself to do a self exam," Snitker said. "And a busy woman has so many reminders in her phone for all kinds of things. With this app, you can have a cute guy to remind you to do it."
The charity itself is known for doing "provocative" marketing campaigns with "shock value," Snitker said. Previous efforts have urged women to "Save the Boobies!" In honor of its 10th anniversary, the organization will be throwing a BoobyBall next month.
      Asked whether the app would offend women, Snitker said: "He's not going to do it for you. It's about touching yourself, about knowing how your breast feels when it's normal. So later if there's a change, you'll know."

      "Young women are busy and often need a reminder to show their breasts some TLC,"  Rethink Breast Cancer executive director M.J. DeCoteau said in a statement: "Being aware of what your breasts regularly look and feel like is the key to early detection and what better way to remind you to check yourself than a friendly nudge from a hot guy."

Sources:
http://m.ibtimes.com/breast-cancer-iphone-app-218657.html

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