Evaluation of Arclight frugal smartphone video otoscopy

Christoph R. Buhr; Katharina Bahr-Hamm; Christopher Seifen; Johannes Pordzik; Jonas Eckrich; Thomas Murray; Christoph Matthias; Andrew Blaikie

doi:10.1002/lary.32106

Evaluation of Arclight frugal smartphone video otoscopy

Christoph R. Buhr^*, Katharina Bahr-Hamm, Christopher Seifen, Johannes Pordzik, Jonas Eckrich, Thomas Murray, Christoph Matthias, Andrew Blaikie

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Background: Frugal innovations are essential in low-resource settings to provide cost-effective medical solutions without compromising functionality. The Arclight is a robust, solar-powered device that functions as both an ophthalmoscope and an otoscope, priced at approximately 12€ in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Objectives: This study evaluates the Arclight's potential as a video otoscope when attached to smartphones, aiming to enhance telemedicine capabilities in ear examinations.
Methods: Twenty otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialists rated the standalone Arclight as well as its attachment to an iPhone 12 and a Samsung Galaxy A14 for ear examinations at the University Medical Centre in Mainz, Germany.
Results: The standalone Arclight received the highest ratings overall, followed by the Arclight attached to a Samsung Galaxy A14. Attached to the Samsung Galaxy A14, the Arclight demonstrated significantly higher performance regarding ease of focus (p < 0.01), quality of view (p < 0.05), and zoom capabilities (p < 0.05) compared to the iPhone12 attachment. The iPhone12 setup performed lowest in all categories.
Conclusion: The Arclight is an effective, low-cost tool for ear examinations in low-resource settings. While smartphone integration enhances its potential for telemedicine, performance varies depending on the smartphone used. The Samsung Galaxy A14 proved to be a more reliable option for tele-otoscopy than the iPhone 12. Further optimization is needed to improve smartphone integration and address identified limitations, enhancing the Arclight's utility in telemedicine applications.
Level of Evidence: NA.

Original language	English
Number of pages	6
Journal	Laryngoscope
Volume	Early View
Early online date	6 Mar 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.32106
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 6 Mar 2025

Keywords

Ear canal
Low-resource
Medical education
Telemedicine

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Buhr-2025-Evaluation-of-arclight-Laryngoscope-32106-CCBY
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). The Laryngoscope published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Final published version, 486 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{b41e392b227446ca8bc4e95d72aec89c,

title = "Evaluation of Arclight frugal smartphone video otoscopy",

abstract = "Background: Frugal innovations are essential in low-resource settings to provide cost-effective medical solutions without compromising functionality. The Arclight is a robust, solar-powered device that functions as both an ophthalmoscope and an otoscope, priced at approximately 12€ in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objectives: This study evaluates the Arclight's potential as a video otoscope when attached to smartphones, aiming to enhance telemedicine capabilities in ear examinations. Methods: Twenty otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialists rated the standalone Arclight as well as its attachment to an iPhone 12 and a Samsung Galaxy A14 for ear examinations at the University Medical Centre in Mainz, Germany. Results: The standalone Arclight received the highest ratings overall, followed by the Arclight attached to a Samsung Galaxy A14. Attached to the Samsung Galaxy A14, the Arclight demonstrated significantly higher performance regarding ease of focus (p < 0.01), quality of view (p < 0.05), and zoom capabilities (p < 0.05) compared to the iPhone12 attachment. The iPhone12 setup performed lowest in all categories. Conclusion: The Arclight is an effective, low-cost tool for ear examinations in low-resource settings. While smartphone integration enhances its potential for telemedicine, performance varies depending on the smartphone used. The Samsung Galaxy A14 proved to be a more reliable option for tele-otoscopy than the iPhone 12. Further optimization is needed to improve smartphone integration and address identified limitations, enhancing the Arclight's utility in telemedicine applications. Level of Evidence: NA.",

keywords = "Ear canal, Low-resource, Medical education, Telemedicine",

author = "Buhr, {Christoph R.} and Katharina Bahr-Hamm and Christopher Seifen and Johannes Pordzik and Jonas Eckrich and Thomas Murray and Christoph Matthias and Andrew Blaikie",

note = "Funding: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

day = "6",

doi = "10.1002/lary.32106",

language = "English",

volume = "Early View",

journal = "Laryngoscope",

issn = "0023-852X",

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T1 - Evaluation of Arclight frugal smartphone video otoscopy

AU - Buhr, Christoph R.

AU - Bahr-Hamm, Katharina

AU - Seifen, Christopher

AU - Pordzik, Johannes

AU - Eckrich, Jonas

AU - Murray, Thomas

AU - Matthias, Christoph

AU - Blaikie, Andrew

N1 - Funding: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

PY - 2025/3/6

Y1 - 2025/3/6

N2 - Background: Frugal innovations are essential in low-resource settings to provide cost-effective medical solutions without compromising functionality. The Arclight is a robust, solar-powered device that functions as both an ophthalmoscope and an otoscope, priced at approximately 12€ in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objectives: This study evaluates the Arclight's potential as a video otoscope when attached to smartphones, aiming to enhance telemedicine capabilities in ear examinations. Methods: Twenty otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialists rated the standalone Arclight as well as its attachment to an iPhone 12 and a Samsung Galaxy A14 for ear examinations at the University Medical Centre in Mainz, Germany. Results: The standalone Arclight received the highest ratings overall, followed by the Arclight attached to a Samsung Galaxy A14. Attached to the Samsung Galaxy A14, the Arclight demonstrated significantly higher performance regarding ease of focus (p < 0.01), quality of view (p < 0.05), and zoom capabilities (p < 0.05) compared to the iPhone12 attachment. The iPhone12 setup performed lowest in all categories. Conclusion: The Arclight is an effective, low-cost tool for ear examinations in low-resource settings. While smartphone integration enhances its potential for telemedicine, performance varies depending on the smartphone used. The Samsung Galaxy A14 proved to be a more reliable option for tele-otoscopy than the iPhone 12. Further optimization is needed to improve smartphone integration and address identified limitations, enhancing the Arclight's utility in telemedicine applications. Level of Evidence: NA.

AB - Background: Frugal innovations are essential in low-resource settings to provide cost-effective medical solutions without compromising functionality. The Arclight is a robust, solar-powered device that functions as both an ophthalmoscope and an otoscope, priced at approximately 12€ in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objectives: This study evaluates the Arclight's potential as a video otoscope when attached to smartphones, aiming to enhance telemedicine capabilities in ear examinations. Methods: Twenty otorhinolaryngology (ORL) specialists rated the standalone Arclight as well as its attachment to an iPhone 12 and a Samsung Galaxy A14 for ear examinations at the University Medical Centre in Mainz, Germany. Results: The standalone Arclight received the highest ratings overall, followed by the Arclight attached to a Samsung Galaxy A14. Attached to the Samsung Galaxy A14, the Arclight demonstrated significantly higher performance regarding ease of focus (p < 0.01), quality of view (p < 0.05), and zoom capabilities (p < 0.05) compared to the iPhone12 attachment. The iPhone12 setup performed lowest in all categories. Conclusion: The Arclight is an effective, low-cost tool for ear examinations in low-resource settings. While smartphone integration enhances its potential for telemedicine, performance varies depending on the smartphone used. The Samsung Galaxy A14 proved to be a more reliable option for tele-otoscopy than the iPhone 12. Further optimization is needed to improve smartphone integration and address identified limitations, enhancing the Arclight's utility in telemedicine applications. Level of Evidence: NA.

KW - Ear canal

KW - Low-resource

KW - Medical education

KW - Telemedicine

U2 - 10.1002/lary.32106

DO - 10.1002/lary.32106

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:86000352600

SN - 0023-852X

VL - Early View

JO - Laryngoscope

JF - Laryngoscope

ER -

Evaluation of Arclight frugal smartphone video otoscopy

Abstract

Keywords

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