Boris Rubinsky, bioengineering professor at the University of California, came up with an unique, affordable and simple alternative to currently used medical technology. The mobile phone is in the spotlight again. It seems that the extraordinary potential of this device has barely been exploited until now as the number of functions and features it can bring together is constantly increasing.

The professor’s idea is to turn a normal electromagnetic imaging machine into a portable scanner that can be connected to a cell phone and a computer, thus enabling properly trained people to perform the same operations regardless of location, and with the use of equipment which is worth many thousands of dollars less than typical systems.

Although medical diagnostic techniques have come a long way, only one third of the world’s population currently has access to imaging technologies. By adding medical functions to such a popular device, many more people will be given the chance to benefit from the scientific progress that has been reached in the past years. It is only a matter of time before this technology is implemented at a large scale, as the advantages it brings are indisputable.

"You go through India, anywhere, in the middle of the road, there's someone with a cell phone. A friend calls me from the jungles of Costa Rica," Rubinsky said. "I can see so many applications in which the cell phone becomes an integral part of a medical device. A cell phone can cut the cost of almost every [diagnostic] device."

The invention is acknowledged as joint property of both Yissum, technology transfer company of the Hebrew University, and the University of California, Berkeley.