Telechroma: Smart Colorimetric Analyzer

Portable Arduino-based colorimetric analyzer that quantifies biological analytes from urine samples via color sensing, with wireless Bluetooth transmission to a mobile app.

Telechroma is a portable, affordable colorimetric analyzer developed for telemedicine applications at Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET). It measures the concentration of biological analytes — such as glucose in urine — based on color changes detected by a TCS3200 color sensor, then transmits results wirelessly via Bluetooth to a companion Android app for remote clinical review.

Course: BME 4232 Telemedicine & Health Care Laboratory
Instructors: Anik Ghosh, Amit Dutta Roy
Date: December 2023

Hardware Components

Component Role
Arduino Nano V3.0 Central microcontroller
TCS3200 Color Sensor Measures RGB color changes in biological samples
HC-05 Bluetooth Module Wireless data transmission to mobile app

Circuit

Telechroma Circuit Diagram

Proposed circuit diagram

Dual-Mode Operation

Telechroma supports two analysis modes:

Mode 1 — Using the Device

Flow Diagram: Device Mode

Flow diagram — device mode

The TCS3200 sensor reads RGB values from the test sample. The Arduino maps these to analyte concentrations via calibration curves and sends results to the app over Bluetooth. Accuracy: 100%.

Mode 2 — Using a Smartphone Camera

Flow Diagram: Camera Mode

Flow diagram — camera mode

The app captures an image of the test strip, extracts color values via image processing, and performs the same concentration mapping locally. Accuracy: 80%.

Hardware Result

Telechroma Device

Final hardware implementation

Software

  • Firmware: Arduino IDE (C/C++) — sensor interfacing, calibration lookup, Bluetooth serial output
  • Mobile App: MIT App Inventor — real-time data display, mode selection, Bluetooth pairing

Key Features

  • Portable and low-cost design using off-the-shelf components
  • Real-time wireless data transmission via Bluetooth
  • Dual-mode: dedicated sensor or smartphone camera
  • Targets remote diagnostics in underserved areas

Future Work

  • Replace Bluetooth with Wi-Fi/cellular for true telemedicine integration
  • Add Raspberry Pi and spectrometer modules for wider analyte detection
  • Expand beyond urine analysis to blood-based colorimetric assays

View on GitHub