AI Tool Accelerates Skin Cancer Diagnosis in Remote Areas

SadaNews - A researcher at a Scottish university has developed artificial intelligence tools that could enable people in remote areas of the world to access quick diagnoses for skin cancer, potentially saving their lives.

Tess Watt, a PhD student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who led the project to develop this technology, stated that its goal is to facilitate early detection of skin diseases anywhere in the world, without the need for direct contact with dermatologists, according to the British PA Media Agency.

The technology also functions without the need for the internet.

The system involves the patient taking a picture of their skin using a small camera attached to a "Raspberry Pi" - a low-cost, energy-efficient computer capable of storing vast amounts of information.

This project is the first of its kind to combine medical diagnosis using artificial intelligence with serving remote communities.

The research team reported that the diagnostic tool's accuracy reaches 85%, but they hope to increase this accuracy by accessing more datasets of skin lesions, with the help of advanced automated tools.