Phone scanner could ward off stomach bugs

A mobile device that can detect if leftovers in your fridge are safe to eat could be heading to a store near you.

Researchers at the University of California have developed a device that attaches to mobiles and can detect Escherichia coli in liquid samples.

It turns a mobile phone into a miniature fluorescent microscope and has been used to test water samples and milk.

Outbreaks of E. coli pose a huge threat to health, especially in developing countries. Most strains of E. coli are harmless, but some strains can cause severe foodborne disease.

“[The phone provides] a ubiquitous platform for conducting advanced micro-analysis wherever cell phones work,” UC lead researcher Hongying Zhu says.

Scientists hope it can bring advanced technologies to remote and resource-poor locations, highlighting the huge demand for innovations of this nature.