Designed by associate professor Pattarasinee Bhattarakosol from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Chulalongkorn, along with students and professors from the university’s Faculty of Medicine, Lung Care is a ground-breaking new app that helps people conveniently test the health of their lungs and potentially detect signs of lung disease in advance.

By blowing as hard as you can into your smartphone’s microphone twice a day (morning and evening), you can monitor your lung health in the comfort of your own home. The results of your self-tests are indicated by colors: green means you have recorded an 80-to-100 percent peak air-flow rate (that’s obviously good), yellow for 50-to-80 percent (less good) and red for less than 50 percent (it would be wise to seek medical attention).

The app was initially developed for asthma patients, though it may also come in handy for people who smoke and those who work in dusty environments like construction sites. If the app detects a continuous decrease in lung capacity over a certain period, it will alert you to see a doctor. 

It should be noted that Lung Care cannot determine whether you have Covid-19.

Lung Care is now available for download for free on the Google Play Store. For more information, visit their Facebook page or contact them via Line (@lungcare).