Smartphone’s Compass Measures Glucose Level
![](http://www.medicalautomation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Quantitative-high-sensitivity-measurement-of-liquid-analytes-using-a-smartphone-compass.-Jun-11.jpeg)
Quantitative, high-sensitivity measurement of liquid analytes using a smartphone compass
“Here we [physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology] report smartphone analyte sensing utilizing the built-in magnetometer for signal transduction via analyte-responsive magnetic-hydrogel composites. As these hydrogels dilate in response to targeted stimuli, they displace attached magnetic material relative to the phone’s magnetometer. Using a bilayer hydrogel geometry to amplify this motion allows for sensitive, optics-free, quantitative liquid-based analyte measurements that require neither any electronics nor power beyond that contained within the smartphone itself. We demonstrate this concept with glucose-specific and pH-responsive hydrogels, including glucose detection down to single-digit micromolar concentrations with potential for extension to nanomolar sensitivities. The platform is adaptable to numerous measurands, opening a path towards portable, inexpensive sensing of multiple analytes or biomarkers of interest.” MORE
Image Credit: Nature