Samsung Repurposes Old Galaxy Phones to Diagnose Eye Diseases in Developing Countries

Samsung has carried out this initiative for the benefit of underprivileged populations in Morocco, Vietnam and soon India, and Papua New Guinea. Old Samsung Galaxy phones are introduced into portable Eyelike eye cameras, which connect to a lens for better diagnosis of the back of the eye, while the "smartphone" is used to capture images, Samsung said in a statement.

Using an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, the device then analyzes the images to diagnose eye diseases such as blindness, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. It then connects to an app that captures patient data and suggests a treatment.

The same technology is used by Samsung to create portable smartphone-based colposcopes capable of detecting cervical cancer.