Mobosens, Smartphone Liquid Sensor (Prototype)

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from MoboSense as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

The MoboSens is a sensor that allows anyone with a smartphone to detect contami¬nated water and analyze biofluids. The sensor plugs into a cell phone through the audio jack; the phone app controls the sensor and shows the nature and precise amount of contaminants in a single drop of water on the sensor—nitrate, arsenic, chromium, and pathogenic bacteria, among others. An on-line map permits the results to be communicated in real time, so users can monitor and share local environmental data. The MoboSens can also identify contaminants or illnesses in the user’s body by analyzing blood, urine, and saliva. By combining revolutionary technologies—mobile devices, social media, sensors, and geographical informa¬tion systems—the MoboSens delivers an affordable product that will revolutionize digital health care.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.