6 of the most fascinating digital health tools

In this feature, I share some of the most interesting digital health tools that are currently being developed or have recently come to market. From the first robotic laparoscopic surgery without human help, to AI-controlled laser skin treatment, the range of digital health technologies encompasses wearable devices, telemedicine, mobile health apps, electronic health records and personalized medicine. The tools below are transforming how we develop and supply life-changing treatments, and offer an exciting glimpse into the inspiring present and future of the healthcare revolution.

1. PREVAIL

PREVAIL stands for PhototheRapy Enhanced Via Artificially Intelligent Lasers. The project has involved creating automated treatment methods for psoriasis using the targeted laser lights. Psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting millions of people worldwide, and is a risk factor for other diseases such as arthritis. Shining UV light over large areas of the skin (both affected and unaffected) is used as a common treatment, however, this can lead to sunburn as well as increasing skin cancer risk. PREVAIL helps to overcome these problems and increase the safety of UV treatment by using AI to scan and identify affected areas of a patient’s skin and direct the UV treatment onto those specific areas without shining on unaffected adjacent skin, reducing the risk of sunburn and skin cancer . Who was it developed by? University of Southampton (UK)

2. STAR

The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot, or STAR, is a robot that can perform soft tissue surgery with little help from humans. Although many surgical robots have been designed over the years, few can claim to be quite as remarkable as STAR. This self-guiding surgical robot can accomplish difficult laparoscopic procedures in gastrointestinal surgery. In fact, STAR performed the first laparoscopic surgery connecting two ends of a pig intestine without human assistance in January 2022, and was found to perform significantly better in the procedure when compared to human surgeons. Several limitations must still be overcome, but the research team hope to study STAR’s potential in human surgeries in the next 5 years . Who knows, maybe robosurgeons will one day function autonomously? Who was it developed by? John Hopkins University (MD, USA)

3. PreSize® Neurovascular

This medical software was actually an NHS AI in Health and Care Phase 3 Award winner, meaning the software was granted funding to support its first real-world assessment in health and social care settings to provide evidence of its efficacy and aid its adoption. Stenting is a common procedure for narrowed coronary arteries and aneurysms, but the procedure success often relies on using the correct stent size for the blood vessel and it can be difficult to predict the required size from standard brain scans. PreSize® is an advanced AI-driven software that accurately calculates the optimum stent size for use in high-risk brain surgeries based on patients’ brain scans. It takes as little as 3 minutes to walk through a case on PreSize® in real time. Ten hospitals are currently partaking in the clinical trial assessing the use of this technology . Who was it developed by? Oxford Heartbeat Ltd (UK)

4. Seeing AI

Seeing AI is a mobile app that works essentially like a guide dog, but it can also speak. The free app narrates a description of your environment via your phone’s camera using AI, and is available in multiple languages, including Japanese, Dutch, Italian and Turkish. The audio description can support visually impaired people in reading signs, longer documents and handwritten notes, identifying supermarket foods by scanning their barcodes, identifying cash value when paying, recognizing friends and describing surrounding people, including their emotions and facial expressions . Who was it developed by? Microsoft

5. Propeller Health smart inhaler platform

Smart inhalers are inhalers that record data via sensors and sync this information to a mobile app. There are actually a few smart inhalers that have been developed over the years, but Propeller Health’s works by attaching a sensor to an inhaler that can help predict asthma attacks by tracking the patients’ condition and treatment efficacy at specific times and dates, which in turn helps to identify potential asthma attack triggers. The FDA-approved platform relays all of this information to the patient’s doctor and also alerts patients when they require a medication dose or if they leave their inhaler behind. Clinically trials have proven that Propeller reduces the use of rescue inhalers as well as hospitalization cases . Who was it developed by? Propeller Health (WI, USA)

6. Amelia VR

Amelia is a virtual reality (VR) platform for mental health professionals. The VR software has over 100 virtual environments and scenes that can be used to target many disorders while totally immersing the patient and controlling parameters within the virtual environment. Mental health professionals can use Amelia VR for techniques such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and virtual reality exposure therapy. For example, Amelia VR’s exposure therapy can help patients overcome phobias and fears by immersing users in non-dangerous virtual environments that would provoke their fear, causing them to overcome their distress overtime due to gradual exposure. Amelia VR is now used worldwide to treat mental health conditions in over 70 countries . Who was it developed by? XRHealth (MA, USA) Be sure to get in touch if you have any queries about Future Medicine AI or are interested in publishing in the journal, please contact Commissioning Editor, Emma Hall (e.hall@future-science-group.com). Disclaimers:The opinions expressed in this feature are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Future Medicine AI Hub or Future Science Group.