Smartphones are revolutionising medicine

Medical assistant: Smartphones can already act as pedometers, count calories and measure heartbeats.

Smartphones are revolutionising the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, thanks to add-ons and apps that make their ubiquitous small screens into medical devices, researchers say.

"If you look at the camera, the flash, the microphone... they all are getting better and better," said Shwetak Patel, engineering professor at the University of Washington.