Blood pressure monitoring for everyone and anywhere could be a reality thanks to this new invention created by engineers at the University of California in San Diego.

This simple clip is low-cost and is able to use the camera and flash of a smartphone to measure blood pressure on the user's fingertip.

The very cheap clip ($0.10), can change the way blood pressure is measured and best of all it can be accessible to anyone, regardless of where you are and your socioeconomic level.

Unlike other systems requiring cuff measurements, this clip offers uncalibrated performance with reliable readings without the need for additional devices.

This facilitates measurement, with great potential providing a cheap and simple way to treat diseases such as hypertension.

This is how the smart clip works

For it to work, the user must apply pressure with the fingertip while following the instructions of the mobile application.

The diameter and gloss of the circle offers details about the pressure applied, and also the amount of blood in the fingertip. After processing by an algorithm, blood pressure, systolic and diastolic readings are obtained.

They were able to demonstrate that the results of this 3D printed clip were comparable to those obtained with a blood pressure cuff.

With this, it becomes a reliable tool for the self-control of blood pressure, especially in the elderly.

They point out that the current design should work with different types of mobile phones, although so far they have only tried one of them.