$15 micro lens turns your smartphone into a microscope

The Micro Phone Lens, measuring just 1/4" in diameter, is designed to stick onto the lens of most cellphones (recommended 5 megapixel camera resolution), and easily capture images and videos ranging from 15X magnification up to 60X (using the phone's digital zoom feature). The design of the little lens is said to be a product of a "patent pending platinum catalyzed silicone technology" that yields an optical quality identical to that of glass, and yet is impervious to scratching and can be cleaned with soap and water. It self-adheres to the camera lens and can be installed or removed quickly and easily. Once the lens is on the phone, all you need to do is focus your image and click the shutter.

Imagine the possibilities when applied to skin imaging !

The Micro Phone Lens is currently in a crowdfunding phase on Kickstarter, and has gone well past its original goal of raising $5000. If you'd like to be one of the first to pick up one for your phone, a $15 pledge will secure your ability to soon take microscopic photos with your mobile.

Mobile Thermal Imaging is Coming

In our Industry Report published late August 2013, we discussed how mobile imaging was becoming more and more sophisticated. We discussed the emergence of iPad -based microscopes and also announced possible applications of IR-imaging iPads for Applied Skin Care.
The IR-Blue Thermal Imaging Smartphone affordable accessory is a good example of the technologies soon to be available.
The IR-Blue supports Bluetooth 2 and Bluetooth 4 BLE. It works with the iPhone 4S, 5, the New iPads and the 5th gen iPod Touch. It also works with Android 2.3 and newer devices with at least 480 x 800 resolution displays.

See KickStarter for a description of the venture.

Dermanest's 2013 Skin Imaging Industry Report:

Today Dermanest releases its 2013 Skin Imaging Industry Report.  The full report contains 42 pages (see table of content below) and is available on request (complimentary copies) at info@dermanest.com

 The goal of this work, developed in collaboration with DermaNest's partner TRI-Princeton, is to track the emergence of new imaging technologies that can be applied to skin and wound imaging. 

Since our last report in August 2012, we have added 17 new products to our survey (almost doubled), and included deep vein / vascularization imaging in addition to skin and wound.

Skin imaging has begun to move towards smartphone or tablet enabled technologies. The field of mobile imaging systems contains areas including smartphone accessories and enhanced software, allowing for improved mobile images an increasingly sophisticated analysis of the photos, which is performed either on the tablets ( with limited performance and questionable outcomes) or on the cloud with virtually unlimited capabilities for image management and data processing, including Artificial Intelligence based-algorithms that could offset the limited optical capabilities ( … for now) of Smart Phones. Interesting compromises are proposed by manufacturer who offer smart phone accessories coupled to Downloadable apps.

We expect an enormous development in the Smartphone optics in 2013-14. The ready-to launch iPhone 5S already brings a much more on-board camera, and there are many enhancing accessories hitting the market. In addition, several academic institutions and focusing their capabilities to innovate in the Mobile Microscopy field, which will be of very high relevance to applied skin care.

Table of Contents and List of Products

1)      Introduction  5

2)      Technologies Stratification  5

i)      In the USA  10

1.          Canfield Imaging Systems  12

2.          Enhanced Image Technologies  15

3.          DermLite  15

4.          Moritex and BrighTex Bio-Photonics  17

5.          Mobile solutions by BrighTex Bio-Photonics  17

6.          Profect Medical Technologies  18

7.          Caliber ( ex-Lucid) 18

8.          Christie Medical 19

9.          AccuVein  19

10.       VasaMed  20

11.       Wound Zoom   21

12.       Wound Matrix  21

13.       Emage  22

14.       TRUE-see Systems  22

15.       MyOwn  23

16.       SkinVision : Your Lifetime Skin Companion  24

ii)     In Europe, Australia, and Canada  25

17.       Courage + Khazaka electronic GmbH   27

18.       FotoFinder  28

19.       BME  29

20.       Astron Clinica  30

21.       Michelson Diagnostics  31

22.       Eykona Wound Measurement System   32

23.       Silhouette by Aranz  32

24.       SIMSYS  33

25.       MOWA  33

26.       Dr. Mole  34

27.       AVEAL  34

28.       Skinlabs  35

iii)         SmartPhone Optics Enhancing Devices. 36

29.       CellScope and iPadScope  36

3)      Discussion and observations  37

4)      References  40

SkinVision : Your Lifetime Skin Companion

SkinVision (https://skinvision.com) is a mobile app that allows you to understand your skin health and keep track of it. The mobile applications allow you to understand UV index along with your skin type. In addition you can easily and simply check skin lesions ( moles) by sending a photo and receiving an instant analysis and also find an appropriate dermatologist in your vicinity.

But SkinVision is simply more than an app. It is, in fact, a mobile and browser platform that enables users and dermatologists to verify suspicious skin lesions and monitor suspicious skin lesions over time. SkinVision intends to educate, raise awareness, provide automated assessments for moles, improve the relationship between dermatologists and their patients and ultimately, to reduce costs for skin care. This enables continuous supervision, independent of geographical location. SkinVision is an important and necessary step towards the future of skincare.

Skin conditions in general, and skin cancer - melanoma in particular, almost always have a cause related to lifestyle, and SkinVision's goal is to help change those lifestyles so more people stay healthy and the ones that need treatment receive it in time.

The product is not FDA approved and the company displays a very large and visible “disclaimer” related to medical applications.

First iPad App with real-time computer vision technology to assess moles

Purpose of device: Management and Identification of Malignant moles

Main application: Personal Use

 “DoctorMole uses advanced real-time computer vision technology to scan your moles in real time and give you instant risk feedback on Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter and Risk (ABCDE). It is quick and easy to use and allows you to save any photo you have taken to compare for evolution changes at a later stage.

+ Automatically scans moles in real-time

+ Detailed analysis provided to cover the (ABCDE) risks on your scanned mole

+ Save as many photos as you like

DoctorMole is the first app to use real-time computer vision technology to help in the assessment of your moles. This allows the user to easily take a photo of the desired target mole accurately with the correct lighting and distance. All the calculations are done on the phone so your results are instant and your data is safe. At any point you can review all your photos and their results and make comparisons between your moles at different times.”

MOWA: an Mobile / iPad Wound Analyzer

Purpose of device: Management of pressure ulcers

Main application: Health Professionals

 
“MOWA - Mobile Wound Analyzer - is an application for advanced management of pressure ulcers, diabetes and vascular disease. I

t is a sophisticated and practical software for analyze images of ulcers and may also be useful as a reference manual and guide for post -visual evaluation

SIMSYS: Mole Mate

Purpose of device: Imaging and detection of malignant moles

Main application: Medical Use

“MoleMate is a non-invasive, rapid, and painless melanoma screening device that has been specifically designed with and for General Practitioners and skin specialists.

By assisting and accelerating the diagnostic process, SIMSYT-MoleMate enables medical professionals to quickly scan and make a decision to refer a patient, to biopsy a lesion or immediately assure them that their lesion is not suspicious.”

Emage: Image Pro Family

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Purpose of device:  Facial imaging for current sun damage, detects hydration, oil, bacteria
Main application: Medical Use
Price range: Unknown

·          Image Pro
§  UV Light to Evaluate Sun Damage, Oil, Bacteria & Hydration

§  2x Magnification with adjustable view finder to observe the clients skin in detail
§  Light Weight, portable and built in handle allows easy transport for any setting
§  No Computer or Software needed

·         Image Pro I
Instantly determine the conditions of your clients’ skin with the EMAGE Image Pro I Skin Imaging System. This device combines the best of photography and skin analysis together into one inexpensive and easy-to-use tool for the modern aesthetic professional. It is far and away the best option for completing a complexion analysis today, outperforming competitors like the Visia Complexion Analysis tool.

·         Image Pro II
“For the optimal health of your clients’ skin, digital photographs cannot provide all the information you need to recommend the proper treatments or understand the true results of those treatments. The Image Pro II skin imaging system delivers the results you expect, leading to more satisfied clients, consistent referrals and greater practice revenue. ”

WoundZoom

Purpose of device:  High-precision wound measurement device

Main application: medical practices

Price range: Unknown

“The Wound Zoom system is a hand-held device similar to a digital camera or smart phone. The main components are a camera module and four angled lasers that work together with mathematical algorithms to provide accurate measurements. These four lasers deliver critical data to the system, providing the camera’s relationship to the wound (skew and distance). After booting the unit, the user follows a simple work flow: entering basic information for themselves and the patient (a minimum of a user and patient ID is required). Next, the user has the option of taking several photographs of the wound for documentation. Finally, the lasers activate and the user captures an image of the wound for dimension calculations. Using a stylus, the user traces their defined wound border on the device and it instantly calculates the length, width and area. A PDF report is generated and stored on the device which can then be transferred to a computer through USB. ”

VasaMed: Wound Imaging and SmartDraw

Purpose of device:  Documentation of skin breakdown, ulcers and wound size

Main application: medical practices

Price range: Unknown

"Accurate, consistent and regular measurement and imaging of a wound is vital in objectively describing the progress of wound healing. Tracking wound size can assist in selecting and modifying treatment regimens.  Documentation of skin breakdown, ulcers and wound size is also important in terms of insurance coverage and litigation. It is standard practice to include monitoring the size of the wound at regular intervals. Wound measurement systems range from simple tape measure to complex imaging equipment.  To be clinically useful, wound measurement systems should be accurate and reproducible, permit quick assessment, use any camera, minimize the potential for contamination, and be cost-effective."

AccuVein AV400Vein

Purpose of device: Handheld Vein detailed imaging, use the skin as a screen

Main application: medical practices

Price range: Unknown

“The AccuVein AV400 digitally displays a map of the vasculature on the surface of the skin in real time, allowing clinicians to verify vein patency and avoid valves or bifurcations. It is handheld and lightweight, weighing only 9.7 ounces (275g), and easily converts to hands-free with the use of optional wheeled or fixed stands. The medical grade design allows the device to be easily wiped clean, bagged for use in isolation, and does not require calibration as it is permanently aligned.  The easy to use AV400 can be held in any direction above the vein being viewed.  Universal and inverse modes make the AV400 useful on a variety of patient types. With center line accuracy to the width of a human hair, the AV400 can detect veins up to 10 mm deep.  More effective venipuncture procedures with less patient discomfort result in higher patient satisfaction, making it clear why many facilities have chosen to incorporate AccuVein into their standard of care.”

Christie Medical: VeinViewer

Purpose of device: detail imaging of veins, uses the skin as a screen

Main application: medical practices

Price range: unknown

“VeinViewer projects an image much like a picture on a movie screen, but VeinViewer does this in real time making the patient’s skin the “screen”. Projected near-infrared light is absorbed by blood but reflected by surrounding tissue. We capture that information, process it, and project a digital image of the patient’s blood pattern within the vein directly on the surface of the skin. This patented technology, using AVIN™ (Active Vascular Imaging Navigation), is what allows us to do what no other device can.”