UW Creates First Smartphone App To Detect Ear Infection In Kids

Researchers of University of Washington have developed an app which can detect ear infections in small kids with the help of smartphone’s microphone, a piece of paper and a speaker.

This application can detect fluid built up behind the eardrum by using a piece of paper which parents can cut and fold it into a funnel and attach with the smartphone.

It works by playing audio chirps into the air and measure how these sound waves change as they bounce back from ear drum.

This app determines the amount of fluid present in the ear by understanding the degree of sound.

85% of ear infections detected by this technology proved to be true. And the main great benefit of this technology is that it requires only a piece of paper and an app running on smartphone and no any other additional equipment.

15 children aged between 18 months and 17 years were tested at Seattle Children’s Hospital and parents were also trained to use this technology at home and decide and determine whether they should send their children for ear infection detection to these doctors or not.

Many children in today’s time are suffering from the problem of having fluid behind the eardrum and they need an accessible and accurate screening tool which can also be used at home. An expert doctor Dr. Sharat Raju, from University of Washington, School Of Medicine, says that it would be great if parents themselves could determine whether their children have ear fluid or not using a piece of hardware or screening tool.

And in this case, parents are determining the same with the help of an application of a smartphone, a piece of paper, a microphone and a speaker and after determining that their children have infection or not, they take them to pediatrician.