A smart phone to help widen access to HIV testing in GP surgeries, pharmacies, community settings, and developing countries, is one of the five projects that have been awarded funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Another project comprises a new prototype cancer test that could help thousands of cancer patients.
The blood test will allow doctors to see how a patient is responding to cancer treatment in real-time. It could mean shorter treatments and increased survival rates through better-tailored treatments for patients, and better long-term survival by early detection of recurring cancers.
The new technologies have received funding from the DH's NIHR i4i programme and will now undergo clinical trials before potentially being used in the NHS.
Other successful devices that have received funding include computerised glasses, which could help the 1.8 million people who have problems with their sight. The glasses contain tiny cameras that detect people and obstacles and relay this back to the person wearing the glasses by illuminating a set of small bright LED lights embedded into the lenses of the glasses.
Over £3 million of funding has been awarded to five projects.
Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser at the DH, said: 'The NHS needs inventive medical technologies to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease for its patients.
'I want to transform research in the NHS. The NIHR i4i programme provides a route for researchers to develop innovative ideas into a reality that could have a significant impact on patients. Today we are opening our next i4i funding competition, and are inviting researchers and academics to apply for a total of up to £6.25 million to develop more new devices and technologies for patients.'
NIHR i4i funds projects through prototype and commercial development until a device or technology is ready for clinical testing. i4i projects have the potential to make significant improvements for patients. The projects involve academic or clinical researchers and technical experts from industry. The successful projects will now use the funding to test their innovations prior to potentially carrying out clinical trials with patients.
Since 2010 the NIHR i4i programme has funded 27 projects, providing over £16 million.