New tech detects bacteria on smartphone screen in just 5 mins

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed 'BactiSee', a technology that combines a chemically coated testing chip with smartphone imaging to detect bacterial contamination on surfaces in five minutes. Yuzhen Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher, and Lili He, head of the Food Science Department, created the tool, which could strengthen hygiene monitoring in hospitals, food factories, and gyms. The project, based on over a decade of research, has been spun off into startup HertZ Innovation Inc. to commercialize the technology. Currently, lab testing takes one to two days, making this fast, portable tool critical for on-site decisions.