AI in smart devices can prevent diseases; understand project

Preventive medicine is about to take a new technological leap. Now, the use of wearable devices such as smart watches and rings promises to help in the early detection of serious clinical conditions. The main focuses are on Parkinson's disease and cardiac disorders.

The new Viva Bem Applied Research Center (CPA), a cooperation between Fapesp, Unicamp and Samsung, focuses on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) capable of identifying "invisible signs" of diseases long before symptoms become evident.

CNN Brasil separated the details of how the new project will work. Understand below:

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Unlike traditional medicine, which is generally based on data collected during one-off consultations or the famous annual "check-ups", AI in wearable devices allows monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Continuous data collection during the user's normal routine reveals patterns that a 15-minute doctor's visit might generate.

The technological difference of Brazilian research is the focus on embedded AI, which means that the algorithms run directly from the watch or ring. This allows data to be processed in real time and efficiently, without constantly relying on external connections.

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The "attack fronts" of AI in healthcare
The proposal involves the simultaneous processing of data from several sensors that already equip the devices, such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, movements and electrical conductivity of the skin.

The main fronts of attack involve some specific diseases and situations. See below:

- Parkinson's disease: algorithms analyze tremors, sleep patterns and gait to identify signs of the disease years before conventional clinical diagnosis;
- Cardiovascular health: the technology can function as a continuous electrocardiogram, monitoring cardiac variability to identify arrhythmias and the risk of heart attack or stroke;
- Mental health: changes in the electrical conductivity of the skin have already been validated as indicators of stress and anxiety detectable by sensors. watches;
- Elderly and fall prevention: AI can identify declines in strength and independence of movement months in advance, enabling interventions to prevent falls.

"We want, through these increasingly popular and accessible wearable devices, to see invisible signs of diseases long before the symptoms become clinically evident", said Anderson Rocha, professor at Unicamp's Computing Institute and coordinator of Viva Bem.

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"Unique body" concept and sensitive data
To avoid generic diagnoses, the system is trained under the premise that each body is unique. Instead of comparing the user only to average population standards, the AI learns the individual variability of each person.

In addition, the center adopts the explainability guideline, which requires AI to explain the technical reasons for an alert.

According to research, this ensures that the doctor has confidence in making clinical decisions.

As for security, as it involves health data, the project follows strict privacy and ethics protocols to avoid leaks that could cause discrimination or embarrassment.

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Brazilian protagonism
With an initial investment of R$ 20 million, the project involves more than 70 researchers from Unicamp and specialists from Samsung.

According to the brand, three of the four main technologies present in its next smartwatch launch were developed by the research team in Brazil.

The ultimate objective, according to the coordinators, is not to replace the doctor, but to provide the user with the necessary information to seek a specialist at the ideal time, which can improve quality of life through anticipation.

*With information from Agência Fapesp

Source: CNN