Summary: Would a pocket-sized cholesterol monitor keep you from Super Sizing your next meal? Scientists from Cornell University have created the smartCARD, which lets you check your cholesterol through your iPhone. The smartCARD – which stands for smartphone Cholesterol Application for Rapid Diagnostics – clips onto the top of your phone over the camera. It features a slot where you put in a standard test strip with a drop of your blood. After feeding the strip into the device, a built-in flash evenly lights it while your iPhone snaps a picture. A companion app then analyzes the image and provides an exact cholesterol reading. The whole process only takes about a minute. The scientists said the device is ready to market in its current form, but they want to develop it further. It currently only measures total cholesterol, but the team is working to differentiate between “good” and “bad” cholesterol. smartCARD is a great evolution in the Quantified Self movement, and will help us keep our health and wellness goals right on track.
