This $34 smartphone dongle can test for HIV in just 15 minutes

Shawn Knight

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researchers hiv smartphone phone hiv test dongle syphilis smartphone dongle std

Researchers at Columbia University have created a smartphone accessory capable of testing for HIV and syphilis. The device is hardly any bigger than your typical phone, is inexpensive to manufacture and can produce results in a fraction of the time such testing normally takes.

The smartphone accessory was recently put to the test in a small clinical trial in Kigali, Rwanda. Over the course of two weeks, 96 patients from three different health clinics trialed the unit which simply required patients to prick their finger to produce a small (one microliter) drop of blood.

Researchers said the device performed about as well as commercially available tools already out in the field in terms of accuracy. The key difference is in price and time involved.

researchers hiv smartphone phone hiv test dongle syphilis smartphone dongle std

Traditional lab equipment used to test for HIV and syphilis costs over $18,000 while the actual tests cost patients about $8.50 combined. The new smartphone dongle can be made for just $34 and takes only 15 minutes to process results. Existing lab hardware can take as long as two and a half hours to spit out its findings.

What’s more, the device is incredibly energy efficient as it draws power from its host device. In testing with an iPod, researchers were able to conduct 41 tests before the music player needed to be recharged.

The accessory is seen as a medical breakthrough, especially in Africa and other parts of the developing world where AIDS is a major problem.

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Meh, I can sell you a $1 test that's 100% accurate and 10 times faster.

It comes with a special needle to prick your finger, and vuala, you're HIV positive - 100%, guaranteed!
 
Meh, I can sell you a $1 test that's 100% accurate and 10 times faster.



It comes with a special needle to prick your finger, and vuala, you're HIV positive - 100%, guaranteed!

Swing and a miss...
 
Who would EVER buy this? Would it be those who are HIV positive? Would they want to make sure for sure they are positive?
Would this be for people who don't have HIV? Than why would they ever want this?

So basically, for people who know they are at high risk of getting HIV? The adult industry?

I guess what I'm saying, this is useless.
 
Personally I think a model that will work for diabetic's to do their blood test would be GREAT. Current test kits are good, but having the ability to gather and store results for future reference or to share with your doctor would be better than current technology.
 
Who would EVER buy this? Would it be those who are HIV positive? Would they want to make sure for sure they are positive?
Would this be for people who don't have HIV? Than why would they ever want this?

So basically, for people who know they are at high risk of getting HIV? The adult industry?

I guess what I'm saying, this is useless.
You clearly either did not read the whole news item, or skipped the very end:
The accessory is seen as a medical breakthrough, especially in Africa and other parts of the developing world where AIDS is a major problem.
Compared to developed/first world countries, HIV awareness is fairly limited in developing/third world countries, as is the use of contraceptives such as condoms. As such the rate of HIV infection is much higher. Being much cheaper to produce (and sell), powered by mobile devices that are prevalent everywhere, robust and portable enough to travel easily as necessary is a huge boon to those who work to abate the spread of the virus. It's intended userbase is NOT the adult industry, or the random average joe and jill, though if those people do use it for the sake of protecting themselves and others from HIV, such a device is far from useless.
 
Madboyv1, I found your post entertaining, thank you!
Just think about it...that's an awesome multi-faceted monetary approach of initiating a vibrant market in Africa:
First sell them apple products for a few hundred dollars each, then convince them to purchase this gadget to do something they probably don't know what for.

Well, I guess you could have meant this gadget is useful to those working in the medical field in Africa? I guess the manufacturers have to be content with just selling a few dozen gadgets? Perhaps a few hundred? Maybe a few thousand? That would definitely have to be enough to cover the costs of development (R&D) - perhaps it is.

As I said, seems a bit useless.
 
Madboyv1, I found your post entertaining, thank you!
Just think about it...that's an awesome multi-faceted monetary approach of initiating a vibrant market in Africa:
First sell them apple products for a few hundred dollars each, then convince them to purchase this gadget to do something they probably don't know what for.


As I said, seems a bit useless.
or you can give ONE person this device, send them out, and test an entire village for hiv in a single day...?
 
Madboyv1, I found your post entertaining, thank you!
Just think about it...that's an awesome multi-faceted monetary approach of initiating a vibrant market in Africa:
First sell them apple products for a few hundred dollars each, then convince them to purchase this gadget to do something they probably don't know what for.


As I said, seems a bit useless.
or you can give ONE person this device, send them out, and test an entire village for hiv in a single day...?
RustyTech is dense as a brick. Guess he thinks bringing $18,000 equipment to a third world country that takes hours to diagnose a disease is better than bringing a device virtually every doctor and missionary already has along with a $34 piece of equipment that takes 15 minutes to diagnose the disease. Not to mention he specifies Apple products when there is absolutely no mention of Apple in the article. Any apps for iOS can easily be ported to Android.
 
Madboyv1, I found your post entertaining, thank you!
Just think about it...that's an awesome multi-faceted monetary approach of initiating a vibrant market in Africa:
First sell them apple products for a few hundred dollars each, then convince them to purchase this gadget to do something they probably don't know what for.


As I said, seems a bit useless.
or you can give ONE person this device, send them out, and test an entire village for hiv in a single day...?
RustyTech is dense as a brick. Guess he thinks bringing $18,000 equipment to a third world country that takes hours to diagnose a disease is better than bringing a device virtually every doctor and missionary already has along with a $34 piece of equipment that takes 15 minutes to diagnose the disease. Not to mention he specifies Apple products when there is absolutely no mention of Apple in the article. Any apps for iOS can easily be ported to Android.
They do mention a iPod as the test device in the article
 
This device could replace the expensive testing equipment in labs and also provide reasonably priced options to third world countries where testing was previously unavailable.
 
If you stay away from ten dollar, 'significant others' you shouldn't need this.

As for joining any army in Sub-Saharan Africa, being HIV positive seems to be a prerequisite. Moral? Let your recruiter spring for the dongle!
 
So many words are being said! wow
I still think it's not going to prevent the spread of HIV since far too few would purchase it.

"hay babe, wanna go out? ...here, get tested first with this $35 gadget I purchased just for this purpose."
 
So many words are being said! wow
I still think it's not going to prevent the spread of HIV since far too few would purchase it.

"hay babe, wanna go out? ...here, get tested first with this $35 gadget I purchased just for this purpose."

It's not meant to prevent the spread, it's meant as an inexpensive (Compared to the US$18.000.- + USD$8~9 per patient, which buying an iphone or ipod or whatever else you need still makes it an extremely cheap alternative) test that anyone anywhere at anytime can run, it's not meant for home usage (But might be used anyhow) or to test your significant other or Captaincranky's $10 significant others (J/K ;) ), it's meant for third world countries who don't even have access to ORs, field doctors, missionaries as stated, and whatnot, paramedics, you name it.

Not only is cheap but really fast to deliver results.
 
So many words are being said! wow
I still think it's not going to prevent the spread of HIV since far too few would purchase it.

"hay babe, wanna go out? ...here, get tested first with this $35 gadget I purchased just for this purpose."

It's not meant to prevent the spread, it's meant as an inexpensive (Compared to the US$18.000.- + USD$8~9 per patient, which buying an iphone or ipod or whatever else you need still makes it an extremely cheap alternative) test that anyone anywhere at anytime can run, it's not meant for home usage (But might be used anyhow) or to test your significant other or Captaincranky's $10 significant others (J/K ;) ), it's meant for third world countries who don't even have access to ORs, field doctors, missionaries as stated, and whatnot, paramedics, you name it.

Not only is cheap but really fast to deliver results.

You are wasting your time trying to explain common sense to RustyTech. This is indeed a great device and extremely helpful and helps saves time and tons of money!

And what's wrong with buying and testing on your own? If I'm in a serious relationship I take the test and expect her to do it as well, this little device would save me money for sure!
 
Who would EVER buy this? Would it be those who are HIV positive? Would they want to make sure for sure they are positive?
Would this be for people who don't have HIV? Than why would they ever want this?

So basically, for people who know they are at high risk of getting HIV? The adult industry?

I guess what I'm saying, this is useless.

You buy this to take it with you into a club or something. And test every girl/boy before even buying her/him drinks :D
 
You buy this to take it with you into a club or something. And test every girl/boy before even buying her/him drinks :D

I would definitely buy that reason!! :D
The best preventative measure of them all!!
 
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