No-Pain Blood Tests
If you’re one of the 8 million Americans who donate blood each year, you know that before you can give from the arm, you’re going to get stuck in the earlobe or fingertip. This predonation anemia test boosts the nurse’s risk of blood exposure and adds to the bill for biohazardous-waste disposal. Philadelphia-based Cytometrics plans to put an end to those problems with the Hemoscan, a device that tests blood-without drawing any.
Slip a thermometer-like probe under your tongue for a moment, and the Hemoscan tells instantly whether you’re good to give. The probe houses a light source and a miniature camera that captures a video image of blood flowing through tiny vessels; a computer analyzes the spectrum of the reflected light and calculates the levels of red cells and hemoglobin. Cytometrics, working in partnership with the American Red Cross, hopes to have the device on the market next year.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI
The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models.
The Biggest Questions: What is death?
New neuroscience is challenging our understanding of the dying process—bringing opportunities for the living.
Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist
An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.
How to fix the internet
If we want online discourse to improve, we need to move beyond the big platforms.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.