Doctors stress the importance of detecting disease early on to give people the best chance of recovery . And in the very near future you could get these early warning signs using just your smartphone . A San Francisco firm has developed a sensor that identifies gases and molecules released in a person ’ s breath that could hint at an underlying illness . Doctor in a stick ? The very early model of the sensor ( pictured ) has been created by San Francisco-based BoydSense and is on display at this year ’ s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona . Advanced software and prediction algorithms are then used with a connected app to reveal any anomalies . The very early model of the sensor has been created by San Francisco-based BoydSense and is on display at this year ’ s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona . Endogenous volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) are released either through everyday metabolic activity , or by diseases in the body . Once created , they travel into the blood and are released in urine or breath . In addition to detecting volatile compounds in the breath , the firm said the sensor could be used to identify compounds released by rotting food . Some compounds , including carbon for instance , are released naturally . BoydSense has therefore developed software that can identify at which point the level of a gas or compound is beyond what is considered normal . It uses predictive algorithms to then convert the data so that patients and doctors can understand what the results mean . It is hoped that complex processing will prevent needless worry or give a false reading that suggests they are ill . If the sensor is added to a smartphone , for example , a patient could record their breath and the results could be sent to their doctor automatically . In particular , the sensors build on current breath gas analysers that are used to detect early signs of diabetes and even lung cancer . In addition to detecting volatile compounds in the breath , Mr Thuillier said the sensor could be used to identify compounds released by rotting food . In the MailOnline demo , the BoydSense sensor was able to detect an orange within 30 seconds . BoydSense ’ s boss Bruno Thuillier gave MailOnline a demo of the technology at Mobile World Congress . The current sensor is a prototype and syncs with a smartphone via Bluetooth - although Mr Thuillier hopes future models will be embedded into the phones themselves . It takes around a minute to normalise and stabilise , a process needed to ensure that any readings are not contaminated by previous ‘ sniffs ’ . This process is expected to be much faster on a finalised version , however . For the demo , the sensor is then placed inside a jar containing molecules released by oranges . Within about 30 seconds the sensor beeped to say it had recognised the molecules and a picture of an orange appeared on the connected smartphone . This was a simplified way of demonstrating its capabilities , but Mr Thuillier explained that the compounds released by oranges and vanilla - another jar in the demo - were complex enough to show its potential . If attached to a smartphone , the sensor could be placed in a fridge or cupboard and detect if chicken is nearing its best-before date , or if fruit and vegetables are about to turn . Mr Thuillier said : ‘ I am excited to help lead in the creation of the first multi-bio sensing platform that detects and analyses biosignatures anywhere , anytime . This platform will improve the way consumers manage their wellness . BoydSense aims to be the world leader in solutions and services that enable and transform the way people gather and manage their biosignature analytics . ’
The technology has been developed by BoydSense . It recognises and analyses gases for so-called biosignatures . Gases on the breath , for example , can be early indicators of disease . San Francisco could also reveal if food in your fridge is near its sell-by date . Inventor hopes to add the technology to future smartphonesAnd he said sensors could be ready by the end of this year .