A doctor in Vietnam has homebrewed his own low-cost endoscope using a webcam connected to a Pentium 4, a system that cost him about $800 (not including the PC, which was going spare), as compared to $30,000 for a commercially sold endoscope.
"The adaptor costs almost nothing because it is simply a system of lens linked to a webcam costing just about $30.
"In total I had to buy only the scope, which is about $800," Dr Huy told the BBC World Service programme Go Digital.
"A Pentium 4 computer with a colour printer is all that is needed for image processing.
"Using the Windows operating system, we have programs to record the images and put them in a database of patients."
"I can now make a complete endoscope system in just one week."
(via /.)
