A Wireless Spectrometer to get the 3-D Spectral Images through the Smartphone

Smartphone has become the necessity of our life without which we cannot imagine our day. Scientists have always been trying to make better phones by adding latest features into it. A new Smartphone-compatible device has been developed that is very small and can be held like a pencil. It could make it practical to acquire shadowy images of everyday objects that we come across. It may be used for point-of-care medical diagnosis in faraway locations in long run.

The newly developed pencil-like wireless spectrometer can be used with a Smartphone to get the 3-D spectral images of the body and other stuffs.  Spectral images have the ability to show the various attributes of tissue and other biological organs that is not possible to view by our naked eye.  Spectral images projects more colour information than a traditional camera. This new device can detect oxygen saturation in human’s blood, justifying the freshness of meat in the store and identifying the true ripeness of a fruit.

The new spectrometer uses a CMOS camera that transfers images to a Smartphone through the wire connected to it. The new pencil-like spectrometer is pocket-friendly too. It can be used simply by moving it across the target area manually. The images are sent to a Smartphone or computer where they are converted into a 3D spectral image data cube. The researchers are planning to develop software to make the spectral imager more useful for other purposes.

Content- www.sciencedaily.com

By- Anita Aishvarya