For women, one of the most uncomfortable tests they have to endure is a cervical smear - not only that, but the wait to find out the results is excrutiating.

This could be a thing of the past, however, with researchers at the University of Sheffield claiming to have created a device that can tell you the result there and then.

The APX is a TV remote control-type device which has a pen-like probe on the end. It's placed on the surface of the cervix and creates a mild electric current which is painless to the patient.

Pre-cancerous cells conduct electricity differently to normal cells and therefore would be an indicator of abnormalities.

It will not only get rid of the wait for results, but could also banish miss diagnoses and false alarms.