HIV, Syphilis Tests? There's an App for That Weekly Tech. 7

HIV And Syphilis Tests? 

A device invented by biomedical engineers at Columbia University turns smartphone into a lab that can test human blood for the virus that causes AIDS or the bacteria that causes Syphilis. The device attaches to the headphone jack, an requires no separate batteries, The device/dongle contains a lab on chip, and consists of a one-time-use cassette- which has tiny channel as thin as human hair- and a pump, which is operated by a mechanical button and draws blood from an inlet through the channels. Once the blood is inside the device, it meets chemicals that react with the markers for HIV and Syphilis. This testing is called enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay. The device requires little power because the pump is hand-activated, and the current to run LEDs comes from the phones audio signal. The cost for the device would be about $34, and the device can also work with an IPod. Instead of drawing blood from a needle for the two tests, the device uses a finger prick for less pain, and less amounts of blood being taken out.