The Thermometer Meets the Smart Phone: Technology that Help Moms and Saves Lives

It’s an essential element to being a good mom and a good doctor. It’s a gauge of the human body’s well being and plays a valuable role in the management of many diseases, not the least of which is infection.  Every intern, parent and caregiver knows that feeling when “their patient” spikes a temperature. Sometimes, it’s a human touch and yet other times it’s the touch of technology.

Taking a temperature is nothing new and the concept dates back to the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  And today, technology has made the process quick, efficient and accurate. But problems still exist, especially for that restless child who resists the process.

There’s an app for that! And here’s another case where your smartphone is another key tool for both health and wellness.

These days, with smart phones, we can take a photo and video, play games, locate our position and do countless of other useful things. In the future, allow smart phone become an accurate medical diagnosing instrument that, without physical contact, can instantly measure someones temperature and detect environmental hazards.

 

Today, thanks to a great progress in microelectronics, the infrared sensors became really tiny and even more sensitive. According to the patent, the infrared sensor is positioned inside a smart phone next to the digital camera lens. To measure temperature, the camera works as a viewfinder for a correct positioning the smart phone at about 1 inch from the patient’s temple. When the phone detects that its position is just right, it instantly takes the body temperature with a clinical accuracy sufficient for any diagnostic purpose. Thus, a doctor, nurse or mom no longer needs to carry a thermometer because it will be just there inside their smart phone. An additional benefit may also be the avoidance of physical contact and the potential for disease transmission. This new patent will be incorporated into future smart phone and give everybody a powerful health care tool.

But it doesn’t stop there. The technology can be used to measure the surface temperature of many objects, including something as important as our baby’s bath water. The progress in technology combined with consumer demand will drive innovation with a speed and direction that is almost impossible to predict. But if this slope of innovation continues, health and wellness will be an important beneficiary.