AI Making The Cut In TIME

QuantX was developed to back up human radiologists searching for signs of cancer by using AI enabled software to analyze MRI scans and confirm or question diagnosis. It was FDA approved in 2017 and demonstrated a 39% decrease in missed cancers as well as a 20% improvement in overall accuracy during trials. This tech is being tested at the University of Chicago and at the University of Texas with plans for more rollout in the near future.

Pathspot uses a light based detection algorithm to scan hands for possibility of harmful contamination which may help to stop the spread of food borne illnesses and food poisoning. To use this tech one simply holds their hands beneath the scanner which will then assess whether the hands should be scrubbed again to eliminate pathogens such as E. Coli. Currently some 100 locations such as Chopt and Pokeworks restaurants are using this technology since its launch in May 2019. 

BrainRobotics developed a prosthetic hand which is the first to use an algorithm that allows the user and hand to learn from each other; intuitive artificial intelligence ensures users enjoy unlimited gestures and grips each becoming more lifelike than those that went before. Muscle signals are processes by the hand from the user’s arm via 8 multichannel electromyography sensors embedded in the wrist, making grips and hand motions far more accurate. “We hope our invention can give amputees the ability to proudly control prosthetics just like they are using their real hands,” says Max Newlon, the president of parent company BrainCo. When available, the hand will cost $10,000 to $15,000.

Microplastics have been deemed as an urgent concern by W.H.O. Draper and Sprout working with the EPA have developed Microplastic Sensing Autonomous Underwater Vehicles that are designed to swim around a body of water to collect and analyze samples for microplastic content and these drones are jump off points for more advanced research as well as water pollution collection and recycling systems; while still a concept, a prototype is already being successfully used in Hawaii. “We need something that’s comparable to the world Air Quality Index,” says Loud Kratchman the Draper project lead. “Kind of a global weather map that, in real time, we can look and see how the microplastics situation is changing.” 

Moxi is a robot designed by Diligent Robotics that is designed to remove routine errands such as delivering lab samples, paperwork, or removing soiled linen bags to help out overstretched nursing teams and facility. After this technology has proved to be adept at covering the 30% of non-patient tasks that take up nursing time this assistive tech may be deployed on straightforward nursing tasks such as delivering dispensed medication, taking swabs, and changing dressings to free up valuable nursing staff to do more patient interactions.

Pelebox smart locker was designed for short staffed clinics in South Africa with long queues, but it has the potential to be used in more developed countries as well. This tech lets registered patients pick up prescriptions from secure kiosks by using a single use SMS code. Currently the lockers have delivered over 10,000 prescriptions in South Africa with an average wait time of under a minute. Amazon pickup lockers are catching on, perhaps being able to pick up prescriptions 24/7 without relying on pharmacies with short opening hours will do well. 

The OR Black Box was designed to do for surgery what black boxes have done for aviation. This technology is the OR/ER version of a flight recorder that will record audio, video, patient vital signs, and feedback from electronic surgical equipment to allow hospitals to store and analyze data and use it to improve outcomes as well as flag operating weaknesses. Injured and failing bodies sometimes require operations, approximately 300 million surgeries are performed around the globe annually, with 50 million involving complications and 3 million having a fatal results, this tech is designed to help find solutions. It has been used since 2017 in Europe and will rollout in America next year. 

CATALOG takes inspiration from human efficient systems for storing genetic information to create the DNA Data Writer; this tech prints data on blanks synthetic strands of DNA. New data is being created in the digital world by the sextillion, storing is costly and takes space, the company has printed and stored 16 gigabytes of the English text versions of Wikipedia on DNA in 12 hours which is roughly 1,000 times faster, and a commercial pilot test is set for 2020. 

Postmate has a new delivery service rover called Serve, which has 2 eyes and 4 wheels and can navigate sidewalks while being monitored by humans. The modernized meal delivery tech can carry up to 50 pounds and travel up to 30 miles on a single charge. Customers will receive their meals by using a touch screen on the rover which is designed to navigate urban spaces to cut costs and traffic to reach more customers while being more environmentally friendly and increase accessibility; initial plans are to roll out in Los Angeles.