iPhones Can Read Tattoo Ink For Medical Info

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Northeastern University have modified an iPhone to take readings from a special fluorescing nanoparticle tattoo ink, which can then measure sodium and glucose levels in the blood."

Comments

Not Iphone

[Anonymous Coward]

The Iphone doesn't actually do any of the work. The ink senses the chemical levels, and the LED's and filters read it off the ink. The only work being done is by the camera, which isn't really unique to the iphone.

Re:Not Iphone

[GrantRobertson]

Though I haven't thrown anything or hit anybody, I adamantly agree as well.

I am so sick to death of damn near every mobile tech researcher and every media outlet of any form tying everything to the frikkin' iPhone for no damn good reason. I'm waiting for the headline that says, "iPhone wins Indy 500" just because some driver forgot to take his phone out of his pocket before taking off.

What do they think, that Steve Jobs will reward them with a free iPhone? Or is it that they all fell for the marketing crap that told them they had to have an iPhone in order to be cool, and now they are trying to repair the cognitive dissonance that comes from not actually becoming cool by continuously promoting the very thing that embarrassed them? Could it possibly be that Apple has inadvertently (or perhaps advertently) created the first marketing campaign driven by customer's post-purchase embarrassment and disappointment? Naturally, no one would admit to such. It would confirm that they were wrong and create more intolerable cognitive dissonance.

Re:Not Iphone

[jklovanc]

I think the message was that this application can be done with any cellphone.

Re:Not Iphone

[RobbieThe1st]

I'd argue that it's simply the fact that iPhone-using kiddies are very vocal about it, and will vote for anything with iPhone in it. And/or "timothy" is in the above group.

I mean... I know *plenty* of interesting stuff done with other devices -- Like the N900 for example -- but it just wouldn't reach the same level of publicity. It'd be like "We just created this great tool to read tattool ink!" "So? You just threw together a few OSS libraries anddid some processing. Big deal?"

But on the IPhone... I guess it *is* a big deal.

Good news

[DJRumpy]

This could be a boon to those that have to do the finger sticks. Also useful for those that are borderline diabetic, or hypoglycemic.

Even without the iPhone, this is really cool

[Dynedain]

This is a really cool idea.

The iPhone part is a bit of a sensationalist gimmick, but it is a quick and dirty development environment for handheld image capture and processing. Just add the LED array for the specific light frequencies needed.

The real story I think is the specialized ink tattoos that can change based on the presence (or lack thereof) of certain chemicals in the bloodstream. While it sounds like a fairly permanent solution, it could be a real blessing for long-term patients that need frequent blood tests. Gives healthcare professionals, as well as the patient, an easy way to monitor conditions without having to draw blood.

Re:Even without the iPhone, this is really cool

[click2005]

It they can do that why cant they do something more useful like make the change visual. Tattoo goes red you're in trouble with no need to keep
taking pictures of your arm every time. As simple as checking your watch.

Re:Even without the iPhone, this is really cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Please, please! Make a tattoo ink that fluoresces in the presence of birth control. And tattoo all the women with the word "SAFE" on their forehead, visible when they walk in the bar under a black light.

Re:Even without the iPhone, this is really cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Because human eyes are not precision instruments.

A camera measurable change under certain very specified LED lights (possibly only detectable in the dark) is relatively easy (and would not be that striking) compared to a dye which absorbed something prevalent in visible light to a very high level emitting a dramatically different light wavelength as a result and changing form active to inactive in a fairly narrow range of concentrations.

Consider that the first could be read by something like a light sensor + LED under a black sticky plaster and either fed to a gadget either through blue-tooth or a small wire if it was near by (eg hidden under a watch which doubles as a recorder). in the future maybe artificial implanted pancreases will be the norm but this allows the nearly same level of protection without the major surgery.

Level or threshold?

[PPH]

According to TFA, the ink fluoresces in proportion to the level of chemical in the bloodstream. Wouldn't an ink (or series of inks) that begin to fluoresce at a set of levels be better? You would remove the attenuating effect of skin and losses in the illumination/sensor light path. Different skin patches would be tattooed with different level sensitive inks and the result would be a pattern that would encode the bloodstream level. The reading s/w would be dirt simple (possibly even read with an LED flashlight/filter combo and the naked eye). a two dimensional tattoo could encode a number of parameters, include some registration patterns with ink that always fluoresces to mark pattern corners.

Tattoo

[Undead Waffle]

Why come you got no tattoo?

Re:Divers dream!

[TheCarp]

Not just divers.

Body builders, or anyone looking to keep tabs on some process in their body that is conducive to this sort of measurement. Hell, people trying to lose weight, adjust their diet. Women looking to track their fertility, either to bring about or prevent pregnancy... perhaps anyone on birth control?

It is a nice new tool, something so often hard to do, now could become relatively easy and portable. It still remains to be seen what is actually practical... but... it has a lot of potential.