Austrian Company Develops Novel Multifunctional Digital Camera for Finnish Firm

The camera can be used for early detection of eye conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

A Finnish company entrusted Wild GmbH with the development of a new type of multifunctional digital camera, which can image the skin, the inner ear, and the retina and other parts of the eye to detect conditions such as melanoma, ear infections, damage to the eardrum, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Available from between €2000 to €5000, the camera performs similarly to floor-mounted imaging systems costing approximately €30,000, according to the firm. The camera is also designed to replace the relatively simple, manual instruments that general medical practitioners have traditionally used for simple diagnostic procedures. Project director Peter Reiter believes that, because of its advanced imaging and relative affordability, the camera could revolutionize the diagnostic capability of hospitals and clinics in third-world countries, which generally lack advance medical technology. “Our product could lead to a massive reduction of deaths due to diseases of the eye and skin,” he says.

Tags: multifunctional digital camera, Wild GmbH