Just when you thought cell phones could do it all, American and Australian scientists are taking it one step further by attempting to develop cell phone software that could analyze coughs and sickness.  As unsanitary as it may sound, researchers hope is to allow patients to install software onto their cell phones that would let them cough into their phones and be diagnosed moments later.  By examining the sound of the cough, doctors would be able to classify colds, flu or pneumonia.

A Massachusetts company, STAR Analytical Services is spearheading the cough-analyzing software.  They received $100,000 grant towards the project titled, “Using Acoustic Analysis of Cough to Diagnose Pneumonia.”

Eleventh Hour is proud to bring you your science lesson of the day.  Although the average cough can last less than a quarter of a second, the short burst of sound and air created by the release can provide hints about the health of the body.  These distinctive sounds can decipher a common cold from a more serious pneumonia.

STAR Analytical Services is now in the process of collecting sample coughs to distinguish sound profiles of respiratory diseases, cross-referenced by peoples ages, weight and sex.  Ultimately the cell phone software would allow a person’s cough to run through other cough profiles and determine a possible sickness in seconds.

As research continues and software remains in development,  I question if cell phones will eventually end all human-to-human interaction all together? Also will STAR Analytical Services also create restoring software or cleansing wipes for cell phones that once had bacteria or sickness coughed into them?  It will be interesting to see the public’s perception of this unique endeavor allowing sick patients being only a cell phone cough away from diagnosis.

Matt Suttner thought originally that this story was created by The Onion.