Smartphones: Top 3 Emerging Trends

Cheap, fast diagnostics

New tools and apps are coming to transform smartphones into diagnostic labs. Apps are already available to let smartphones take blood pressure and even electrocardiogram (ECG) readings. This is just the beginning.

Soon smartphones will also be able to run tests for HIV and Syphilis. You just need to connect a dongle to the headphone jack of the smartphone to get your blood sample tested. Developed by Columbia University engineers, the dongle is expected to have a manufacturing cost of as low as $34 and can perform tests in flat 15 minutes—according to a report by Columbia University.

Virtual reality                                         

Future smartphones will be able to deliver an immersive experience by combining their sensing and machine learning capabilities with virtual reality. Based on the data gathered from sensors, the phone will be able to learn our preferences and moods. Virtual reality will take that a step further by letting you explore objects or places of your interest from the comfort of your couch.

“The phones of the future might look something like Oculus VR meets iPhone — without the headset,” Adtile founder Nils Forsblom was quoted as saying by VentureBeat. Adtile is developing ways to use machine learning and virtual reality for marketing. While Oculus is a headset that brings virtual reality to video gaming on a PC, “smartphones will deliver immersive experiences without the headsets”—according to Forsblom.

“In the future, smartphone hardware and software will work in seamless harmony. Future mobile devices will be a mix of invisible apps for utility, entertainment, virtual reality, and gaming. Mobile virtual reality will be the ultimate input-output ‘device’ and creative medium,” says Forsblom.

Flexible, clearer displays

Displays—one of the costliest components of smartphones—are set to become better and cheaper. Thanks to the use of a new nanoscale structure developed by researchers at Princeton University, LED displays will become clearer by as much as 400 per cent than conventionally made displays.

Compared to the conventional LED structure that traps most of the generated light inside, the nanoscale structure is able to guide light out of the LED. The displays are flexible enough to be weaved into a cloth. Furthermore, use of a nanoimprint technology for nanostructures—similar to printing technology used for newspapers—makes the displays cheaper.