Mobile app scans for melanoma and maps the results globally

We’ve seen mobile apps created for a variety of useful purposes, but it wasn’t until just recently that we came across one designed to help prevent cancer. Sure enough, Skin Scan is an iPhone app that can be used to analyze and monitor moles so that users can be alerted early on to any potential danger. The brainchild of Romanian Cronian Labs, Skin Scan helps users analyze and keep an archive of moles on their own skin or that of family members for later review and comparison. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch, the app lets users take a photo of a mole and have it analyzed through proprietary assessment algorithms. Specifically, Skin Scan calculates the fractal dimension of the mole and surrounding skin and builds a structural map that reveals the different growth patterns of the tissues involved, thereby helping to identify any abnormal development. The app’s archive feature, meanwhile, helps keep track of a particular mole’s development over time, while Skin Scan also gives users a way to find nearby doctors for when they need a consultation. Finally, by virtue of the fact that it asks for the user’s location, Skin Scan can also map the outlook for moles around the globe. Skin Scan is now available in Apple’s App Store for USD 4.99. Amid all the games and socially focused apps, it’s easy to forget mobile computing’s potential to make a real difference in our lives. Mobile entrepreneurs around the globe: be inspired! Spotted by: Katharina Kieck