14 DAY TRIAL // A recent paper in the Journal of Biomedical optics describes a new type of lenses that, when placed on top of a smartphone's own camera lens, can turn it into a microscope of sorts.
The lenses, designed and created by a team of researchers working with the University of Houston in the US, can magnify an image 120 times over. This makes them comparable to actual microscopes.
To get a better idea of the lenses' magnifying capabilities, check out the images below. The pictures “a” through “c” were taken with an Olympus IX-70 microscope at a magnification of 40, 100 and 200.
The image marked as “d” was obtained with the help of a Nokia Lumia 520 smartphone fitted with one such lens. All the pictures show a patch of human skin and a hair follicle.
As illustrated by the second row of images, showing the magnified regions, the microscope and the customized smartphone took pictures of similar quality.
“Our lens can transform a smartphone camera into a microscope by simply attaching the lens without any supporting attachments or mechanism,” the researchers said in a statement, as cited by Phys Org.
Potential uses for these innovative lenses
The University of Houston scientists say that, since they are easy to use and only cost about $0.03 (€0.02) a piece to make, their newly developed optical lenses are ideal for use in classrooms.
Besides, the lenses would make it easier for medical experts living in isolated areas where access to proper laboratory equipment is an issue to obtain images and share them with other specialists.
“Nearly everyone has a smartphone,” said researcher Wei-Chuan Shih. “A microscope is much more versatile, but of course, much more expensive,” added specialist Yu-Lung Sung.
The lenses, made from a polymer dubbed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, for short), are slightly thicker but also smaller than contact lenses. After use, they can simply be detached.
