Thanks to this 3D printed clip, anyone will be able to measure their blood pressure in a matter of seconds and with practically any mobile phone.
Blood pressure monitoring for everyone, anywhere could be a reality thanks to this new invention created by engineers at the University of California, San Diego.
This simple, low-cost clip is capable of using a smartphone’s camera and flash to measure blood pressure at the user’s fingertip.
The very cheap clip ($0.10), can change the way blood pressure is measured and best of all, it can be accessible to anyone, regardless of where they are and their socioeconomic level. .
Unlike other systems that require cuff measurements, this clip offers calibration-free operation with reliable readings without the need for additional apparatus.
This is how the smart clip works
For it to work, the user must apply pressure with their fingertip while following the instructions in the mobile app.
Then this clip, which is a 3D Printed accessory, covers the phone’s camera and flash. By applying pressure the flash illuminates the user’s fingertip and the generated light is transmitted to the camera through a pinhole-sized channel creating an image of a red circle.
The diameter and brightness of the circle offers details about the pressure being applied, as well as the amount of blood on the fingertip. After being processed by an algorithm, readings of blood pressuresystolic and diastolic.
With this they were able to demonstrate that the results of this 3D printed clip were comparable to those obtained with a pressure cuff arterial.
With this, it becomes a reliable tool for self-monitoring of blood pressure, especially in the elderly.
They point out that the current design should work with different types of mobile phones, although they have only tested with one of them so far.
