The group of researchers from Colombia University led by Samuel K. Sia (an associate professor have been working on mobile HIV/syphilis testing labs for a while. An earlier creation was the mChip, which cost around $1 each, but needed a $100 diagnostic kit to work. The dongle uses just 15 minutes to test the tiny drop of blood you apply to check if you are positive or negative. Amazingly, the device doesn't need a battery to work. The dongle, according to the paper the researchers published in Science Translational Magazine, works by performing Enzyme-Linked Immuoabsorbent Assay (ELISA) to detect HIV antibody, treponemal-specific antibody for syphilis, and non-treponemal antibody for active syphilis infection.
Enough of the medical jargon, to use this device, all you have to do is to prick your finger and apply a little blood. Then you just start the app and push a button down on the dongle. Its as easy as that! The device can work with any smartphone, tablet or computer, because it works via the headphone port. It can work with other types of electronics as long as it has a headphone jack. Pilot testing of the dongle have been carried out in Rwanda where it was used on 96 patients. Unfortunately, some of the results were found to be inaccurate. The creators are still working to improve its accuracy before releasing it proper. The dongle is expected to cost you about $34. Quite cheap for a device with such abilities.
Watch the device in action:
Whenever this device is finally released, it will be a huge hit because of its portability, effectiveness and time saving abilities. What do you think? Drop a comment below.
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[culled from Engadget]
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