BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
Twin sisters Matlhogonolo and Masego Mphahlele share how they’ve made history with their digital x-ray glasses which were created to revolutionize the health care industry.
The twins’ technological innovation ranked in the Top 3 at an international technological event, for its ability to reduce hospital visits and the x-ray process.
In 2019, during their matric year Matlhogonolo and Masego had an ah-ha moment when one of their teammates was injured during a soccer game and required urgent medical attention.
Standing by their injured friend for over 3-hours just for an x-ray gave the twins the chance to think about an easier way to get an x-ray for quicker treatment and diagnosis.
“In a nutshell, our invention can take an x-ray, and reduce the time it takes for patients waiting in hospitals for radiology to perform an x-ray for them. Right now, the images aren’t that clear, but we’re working on it and we’re optimistic the nitty gritty aspects will be fine-tuned for better results.
How it works is that there is a camera outside and a screen, so once you expose your hand or your foot, you get an x-ray which your doctor will then be able to use to see if there’s an abnormality or broken bone. The camera takes infrared images to mobile device,” Masego says.
The idea for the young tech innovators was to create a device that was mobile, to give patients x-rays on the spot.
What followed was 4-years of developing their concept, and the twins, with the help of two fellow University of Johannesburg students, the sisters created a prototype called Digital X-ray Glasses.
The twins are working on perfecting their digital x-ray glasses to work without radiation, and their aim is to get their gadget distributed to local hospitals and clinics.
Image: LinkedIn
