GE as well as the University of Washington have teamed up, working on a “Diagnostics-on-Demand” medical device that is meant for use in the realm of infectious disease detection. This particular DARPA-backed program will focus on the creation of an instrument-free, paper-based, fully-disposable device which can see action in remote areas, considering how access to medical diagnostic equipment in those areas are extremely limited due to numerous reasons. With the “Diagnostics-on-Demand” medical device, it is small enough to travel with you, and can detect a wide range of diseases in under an hour depending on color-changing paper which is similar to those found on a pregnancy test kit.
Forget about TV on-demand, we are presented with on-demand medical diagnosis here, where it can be used anytime, anywhere in the world. Just how small is this new medical device? Roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, and it can pack in the kind of technology which allows one to detect infectious disease through a simple nasal swab in under 60 minutes. Definitely the device to have in this on-demand world that wants everything to be done quickly in the shortest time possible. Hopefully “Diagnostics-on-Demand” medical device would not be too pricey for developing countries. [Press Release]