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MIT researchers use iPhone to help detect cataracts

By: , IntoMobile
Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 6:48 AM

The Apple iPhone has had many uses in the medical industry, and it looks like it will continue to make advances in the field as MIT researchers have just developed a way for the smartphone to detect cataracts. The CATRA system, developed by the Camera Culture Media Lab at MIT, is an iPhone attachment that helps detect cataracts by having the user look into the device.

Here is a brief description by PSFK:

The CATRA utilizes a forward scattering technique, which allows the user to respond to what they visually experience specifically. Based on what the user sees, the CATRA can make an intelligent diagnosis of the severity of the eye condition.

Cataracts are the leading cause of human blindness, so perhaps detecting them early might help doctors prevent total loss of vision.

We’ve seen the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad used in the medical field before. There was an app and attachment we saw last year that converted the iPhone 4 into an ECG machine and a heart rate monitor.

To see the CATRA system in action, be sure to check out the video below.

[Via: TUAW]

About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.

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  • BlindBoy

    Why does your article state that this is an iPhone app, when the pictures and source show Samsung devices being tested?  The article seems biased towards iOS whereas the source seems to be more open about device and operating system.

  • Anonymous

    I never said it was an iPhone or iOS app.

  • Diego

    MIT researchers use iPhone to help detect
    The Apple iPhone has had many uses in th…
    … is an iPhone attachment that helps detect cataracts by having the user look into the device…
    …We’ve seen the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad used in the medical field
    before. There was an app and attachment we saw last year that converted
    the iPhone 4 into an ECG machine and a heart rate monitor….