Free Android app turns phone into 35-tool science lab

Aachen University developed Phyphox, an open-source Android app that unlocks the scientific capabilities of a smartphone by tapping into its built-in sensors. The app can read the accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, magnetometer, light sensor and GPS, and it will use a barometer if the phone has one.

Data can be viewed in real time, analyzed within the app and exported to a file. In practical tests the app returned precise readings: a stair incline of -32 degrees, an audio spectrum peak at 93.75 Hz, a barometric pressure of 999.524 hPa, distance measured with Sonar, room luminance of .177 and a monitor luminance of 3.4.

It can also record Hue, Saturation and Value for color matching and probe magnetic fields—useful for comparing device emissions or checking guitar pickups, where the neck and bridge proved stronger than the center. Phyphox offers 35 different tests, including four stopwatches (acoustic, motion, optical and proximity) and an Audio Spectrum tool that finds peak frequency, musical note and cents.

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