Soon You Might Be Able to Diagnose Your Kid’s Ear Infection With a Smartphone
Scientists are working on an app to catch the tough-to-diagnose but common ear infection
Symptoms of an ear infection are hard to catch and sometimes even harder for kids to communicate — the most warning parents tend to get is a fussy kid acting out or not being able to sleep.
But that could change after research findings announced last week by a team of scientists from the University of Washington. Justin Chan, PhD student, and Shyam Gollakota, associate professor at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, have developed a smartphone application that uses the device’s speakers and microphones to detect fluid found in the middle ear, a common precursor to an ear infection.
To use Chan and Gollakota’s new application, all you need is a phone and a piece of paper rolled up into a funnel. After a parent places the paper funnel into the ear of the grumpy subject, the phone emits an audible chirp from its speakers in the direction of the eardrum. The reflection of the acoustic waves are picked up by the microphones on the device. Using an algorithm, the software can determine whether there is fluid in the middle ear or if it’s clear.
