One can easily imagine the elegant simplicity a web-connected low cost, mobile microscope could bring to field medicine. Here is some excellent research demonstrating a simple microscope and simple spectrometer conversion using an iPhone. There’s a nice how-to on making your own from wired magazine as well.
I can imagine one day a field medic in some impoverished region of the world could snap images of a pathogen or undiagnosed blood specimen, along with a spectral profile, and transmit said info to a team of specialists for analysis. Obviously the resolution would limit the application, but this could really help for blood borne pathogens.
-Austin
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