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IMAGE: Photo showing relative size of spectrometer (left) and cellphone (right and at the lower end of the spectrometer). view more
Credit: Peter Rentzepis
WASHINGTON, May 4, 2021 Scientists from Texas A&M have developed an extension to an ordinary cellphone that turns it into an instrument capable of detecting chemicals, drugs, biological molecules, and pathogens. The advance is reported in Reviews of Scientific Instruments, by AIP Publishing.
Modern cellphones include high-quality cameras capable of detecting low levels of light and eliminating digital noise through software processing of the captured images. Recent work has taken advantage of this sensitivity to produce cellphone cameras that can be used as portable microscopes and heart rate detectors.
Scientists turn cellphone into a chemical detector
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The handheld spectrometer, (L), attaches the a cellphone and is about the same size allowing for easy, and affordable, use in the field, according to researchers. Photo by Peter Rentzepis/Texas A&M
May 4 (UPI) Scientists have trained a cellphone camera to perform spectroscopy, turning the handheld device into a chemical detector, capable of identifying drugs, biological molecules and pathogens, according to a study published Tuesday in the Review of Scientific Instruments.
The device could be used for a variety of field applications, like surveying environmental contamination sites, screening for tainted food or diagnosing diseased crops, according to the researchers, from Texas A&M University.
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