Columbia University researchers have developed a smartphone attachment that can test for HIV and syphilis in just 15 minutes—and all it takes is a prick of the finger. The device—called a dongle—connects to an iPhone or iPad through the audio jack, and it can basically execute the same function as a lab-quality blood test. In this case, it performs a biochemical test that detects and measures the presence of HIV or syphilis antibodies in the blood. This is the first time this kind of detection process has been consolidated into a single-test format. The dongle doesn’t even need to be charged—it draws power from the phone. Users prick the subject’s finger and load the blood sample onto a plastic cassette, which is then inserted into the dongle. One push of the button and, a few minutes later, the results display on the phone or tablet screen. The process is so easy that new users require little more than 30 minutes of training.