With technology moving too fast now, it might seem that your computer, cellphone, and camera have become obsolete very quickly, but given the hard work put in by UCLA engineers in creating the cellphone microscope, one would reassess the scope of technology. Garnering on the fact that mobile phones are the most universally owned gadgets, Aydogan Ozcan of UCLA developed a microscope attachment for a cell phone that can analyze blood and saliva samples for microparticles, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and water borne parasites. What looks like a fun idea to wriggle with has recently won three prestigious awards: a Grand Challenges award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (worth $100,000), the National Geographic Emerging Explorer award (worth $10,000), and the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation ($400,000). It comes as little surprise that Ozcan plans on starting case studies in Africa to see how the microscope can help in revolutionizing global medicine. If all goes well, we can expect to see this $10 device making the world a safer place to live. We wish all the best to Aydogan Ozcan of UCLA in his future plans.
Check out the video after the jump:
Via: Singularity Hub