Researchers at EPFL have created a new sort of blood test, that you can use with your smartphone. They make use of a smartphone's touchscreen. The test itself looks like a simple thin film, but it actually a highly-engineered plastic layer.

With a few drops of blood, it interacts with a special molecule that initiates coagulation, and this disrupts the touchscreen's constant electrical field in a way that can be used to analyze it with an accompanying app.

The results will appear on screen, and it can also be sent to a physician who can diagnose if the patient's medication is still correct or if the dosage needs to be adjusted.

The film is still in research, and the creators are hoping they will perfect it for a 2015 rollout. [EPFL via Phys.org]