November 14, 2024
AI in driverless cars
It's likely that after a couple of decades, humans will be banned from driving cars altogether: because AI in smart cars will handle it better.
Robotic doctors are popular characters in sci-fi movies. People have always thought that in the future intelligent machines will take care of health better than human doctors: they will prolong life, help to quickly find diseases and avoid medical errors. The good news is that we are already on our way to such a future. Let’s see how augmented reality is used in medicine — now.
In reality, robotic surgeons look nothing like they do in sci-fi. Here, for example, is the most popular and well-known robot doctor — Da Vinci from the Robotics Surgery. There are already several tens of thousands of such complexes working in the world — in the USA alone there are more than 8000 of them.
Such a robotic surgeon acts as a human assistant and serves as a "third hand". However, the device can work independently — based on built-in AI. The trained system is able to perform simple operations, and many of them are much more accurate and efficient than a human. For example, Da Vinci is indispensable for cutting and stitching tissues.
Of course, the robotic surgeon relies on computer vision technologies to work effectively. The robot sees more accurately than a human being — providing an operation with the humanly unattainable accuracy of a hundredth of a millimeter.
Along the way, possible problems that are associated with physician fatigue are reduced. The robotic surgeon is able to perform 800 operations without a single error, one after another.
Another important job that robots can take over from doctors is diagnosing diseases based on medical imagery like X-rays and MRI scans. What's more, often we can make do with the cameras of mobile devices.
For example, apps for detecting skin cancer have long since become commonplace — there are already dozens of them. It is enough to regularly photograph moles on the body, and an AI algorithm can warn of danger by detecting changes in the size, shape and color of moles. AI systems for diagnosing skin cancer are much more accurate than human doctors.
In addition, AI is already "reading" MRI scans better than doctors, more often spotting early signs of cancer or other organ damage. Computer vision technology is especially valuable for MRI scans of the brain, where people often lack the vision or experience to see the smallest tissue changes.
Bonus track: AI can handle a difficult task in the medical world: examining simultaneously X-rays, MRI scans, and test results at the same time to make diagnoses even more accurately.
After diagnosis and surgery, patients need rest and recovery — and AI technologies can help with that, too.
Individualized Recovery Plans. AI helps doctors keep track of their patients' rehabilitation plans. For example, a doctor creates a set of exercises to restore mobility, and computer vision in medicine can monitor whether these exercises are being performed regularly and correctly.
VR Rehab. Virtual and augmented reality technologies help patients recover with interest — in a playful way.
Robotic devices. AI is being actively incorporated into exoskeletons and other devices that help people move around without pain after surgery.
Integration with wearables. Many people favor smart devices that also accumulate health data (from the number of steps walked to oxygen and blood sugar levels). Doctors can receive and store this data so they can use it to make diagnoses.
Aggregating data. EHR systems are becoming increasingly popular — they accumulate medical data about a person, and process it with the help of AI. Thus, on the basis of data from different doctors — and it is possible to make diagnoses more accurately and help faster if necessary.
Training. Finally, computer vision and AI are helping to train doctors — especially using VR technology.
The healthcare AI market was estimated at $22.45 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $208.2 billion by 2030. We can help you build a computer vision and machine intelligence solution in medicine — so you help better and earn more!
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