Urine-testing app could reduce medical costs in poor countries

Urine can be tested for a range of medical conditions A smartphone app that uses a phone's camera to analyse urine and check for a range of medical conditions has been unveiled at the Technology, Education and Design (TED) conference in America this week. The Uchek app, developed by TED fellow Myshkin Ingawale, tests for 25 different health issues and could help diagnose and treat diseases in the developing world.
"I wanted to get medical health checks into users' hands," Ingawale told the BBC.
Urine can be tested for the presence of 10 elements - including glucose, proteins and nitrites.
These can be used to pinpoint a range of conditions including diabetes, urinary tract infects, cancers, liver problems as well as being used to keep track of general health.
For the app to work, users need to collect their urine and dip a standard test strip into it.
The strip is then placed on a mat - supplied with the app and intended to normalise the colours on the stick regardless of lighting conditions where the photo is taken.
Once the photo is taken the app will then analyse it for any health conditions.
The app will be available from Apple's app store from the end of March for $20 (£13), which includes the cost of the mat and five dipsticks.
Researchers have confirmed that the app will be tested on poorer countries such as India.
"If it does well we can make it available to mobile clinics. Instead of buying a $10,000 machine they can use their existing smartphones,” said Ingawale.
Currently Uchek is only available for iPhones but versions for Android will be coming soon, Mr Ingawale told the BBC.
While such smartphones may be beyond the budget of many in the developing world, he is hopeful that will not remain the case for ever.
"I'm calling you from a $100 Android phone which I bought from a street market in India. In future smartphones will be even cheaper and all phones will be smart," he said.