A mobile phone that identifies objects could help blind and visually impaired people. US scientists have developed an application to download on to mobiles that allows them to recognise everything from a packet of crisps to different bank notes, the Mail Online reports.

The user points the phone's camera at the object they want to identify and within seconds a voice announces what it is.

The smart phone has been developed by iVisit, a communications firm in Santa Monica, California. The application is still at the testing stage, but it could become available commercially later this year, with versions for different phones, such as the iPhone.

The invention, called SeeScan, is the latest in a series of developments designed to help mobile phones improve health.

Hundreds of NHS patients are trialling a phone application called t+Medical that allows them to monitor their asthma, diabetes or blood pressure. The health readings on their phone are transmitted automatically to a secure website that can be accessed by the patient's GP.