A new smartphone device makes it possible for users to take an accurate iPhone camera selfie that could save their life.

Cornell engineers have created the Smartphone Cholesterol Application for Rapid Diagnostics or "smartCARD" which employs smartphone cameras to read cholesterol levels in less than a minute, according to a press release. It is an alternative to home cholesterol-testing devices.

"Smartphones have the potential to address health issues by eliminating the need for specialized equipment," David Erickson, Cornell associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author on a new peer-reviewed study, said in a statement.

Engineers created a smartphone accessory that "optically detects biomarkers in a drop of blood, sweat or saliva" and it comes with a compatible app. The new device then discerns the results using color analysis.

When a user puts a drop of blood on the cholesterol test strip, it processes the blood through separation steps and chemical reactions. The strip is then ready for colorimetric analysis by the smartphone application.

The smartCARD accessory looks similar to a smartphone credit card reader and clamps over the phone's camera.

The device's built-in flash provides uniform, diffused light to illuminate the test strip that fits into the smartCARD reader. The application in the phone "calibrates the hue saturation to the image's color values on the cholesterol test strip, and the results appear on your phone," according to a press release.

Currently, the test measures total cholesterol.

The Erickson lab is working to break out those numbers in LDL or "bad" cholesterol, HDL or "good" cholesterol and triglyceride measurements. The lab is also working on detecting vitamin D levels, and has previously demonstrated smartphone tests for periodontitis and sweat electrolyte levels.

Erickson said that although smartCARD is ready to be brought to market immediately, he is optimistic that it will have even more its advanced capabilities in less than a year.

"By 2016, there will be an estimated 260 million smartphones in use in the United States. Smartphones are ubiquitous," Erickson said. "Mobil health is increasing at an incredible rate ... It's the next big thing."