Related to this vaguely, I wonder how easy it would be to code a cell counting app for a phone.
Awhile back, I designed and printed a case for my phone that could fit over the lens of a microscope allowing me to take pictures/videos with it. One technique that researchers use to estimate the number of cells in a dish/suspension is to aliquot a small amount and place it on a hemocytometer. Essentially, this is a slide with etched grids; counting the number of cells in the area allows you to estimate the larger population. It is tedious and depending on the number of cells, easy to mess up.
I'd imagine that phones now are powerful enough to analyze this. I don't know whether a live-imaging setup is capable as I am no expert in phone tech. But taking a picture, thresholding to remove noise, etc... seems like it could be done.
Awhile back, I designed and printed a case for my phone that could fit over the lens of a microscope allowing me to take pictures/videos with it. One technique that researchers use to estimate the number of cells in a dish/suspension is to aliquot a small amount and place it on a hemocytometer. Essentially, this is a slide with etched grids; counting the number of cells in the area allows you to estimate the larger population. It is tedious and depending on the number of cells, easy to mess up.
I'd imagine that phones now are powerful enough to analyze this. I don't know whether a live-imaging setup is capable as I am no expert in phone tech. But taking a picture, thresholding to remove noise, etc... seems like it could be done.