November 2018: New Applications and Smart Devices Unveiled for Healthcare

Every month new applications and smart devices are released into the world of healthcare. Here are some AI-based innovations worth making note of…

Explorer

After 13 years in development, the world’s first medical imaging scanner that can capture a 3D picture of the whole human body at once, has produced its first scans. Named Explorer, this combined positron emission tomography (PET) and x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner can image the entire body at the same time as it captures radition far more efficiently than other scanners. The scanner produces an image in as little as a second and, over time, produces movies that can track specially tagged drugs as they move around the body.

AIRx

AIRx is an AI-based, automated workflow tool from GE Healthcare’s Edison platform. It’s designed to increase consistency and productivity in MRI brain scanning and provides automated slice prescriptions to help reduce previously redundant manual steps. AIRx aims to:

• Produce images that have less variability between technologists and between scans
• Lower the chances for a patient to be recalled due to incorrect slice placement
• Leverage deep learning algorithms and anatomy recognition based on a database of over 36,000 images sourced from clinical studies and reference sites.

Critical Care Suite on Optima XR240amx

Critical Care Suite is designed to identify cases with critical condition of pneumothorax at the point-of-care to enable prioritisation of image review. Critical Care Suite will employ a suite of AI algorithms to identify this potentially life-threatening condition in chest X-rays. Critical Care Suite aims to:

• Share the output through an onscreen notification
• Alert the clinical team, enabling prioritisation of image review
• Package results for radiologist review

S-Detect

S-Detect is an ultrasound system unveiled by Samsung that’s capable of detecting breast lesions at a higher degree of accuracy, incorporating the BI-RADS atlas, and producing a standardised report following a checkup. A study by Tommasso Bartolotta, a radiology professor at the University of Palermo in Italy, stated that the software led to a 4% increase in the diagnostic accuracy for doctors with four or fewer years of experience.

Prohab

Adelaide based company Prohab built a hardware device with sensors that clips into exercise resistance bands or testing equipment which then connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When a person uses the band, data is captured and fed instantly to an app so they can measure how hard they are going, what they are doing, and how to progress effectively. The device can be used in conjunction with physiotherapists and medical professionals to help treat patients and it was recently awarded the Premiers Award at the Design Institute Australia’s 2018 South Australia/Northern Territory Awards.