Samsung Electronics has developed a medical device that uses older models from its Galaxy smartphone line to screen for eye disease in underserved areas.
The global electronics company has partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the health system at Yonsei University in South Korea to create the EYELIKE background camera as part of its Galaxy Upcycling program. , which started in 2017.
WHAT HE DOES
An old, unused Galaxy smartphone is used to capture images through a lens mount. The device then uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze and diagnose the images of the ophthalmic disease. It also connects to an app that gathers patient data and suggests a treatment regimen.
The EYELIKE background camera can screen patients for conditions that can lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy; glaucoma; and age-related macular degeneration.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
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Since 2018, Samsung and its partners have screened more than 19,000 residents in Vietnam using portable retinal cameras. In 2019 alone, they provided 90 portable ophthalmoscopes to healthcare professionals operating in remote areas of the country. The Galaxy Upcycling program has now expanded to India, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea.
At least 2.2 billion people around the world suffer from near and far visual impairment, nearly half of which are preventable or still need to be treated, the World Health Organization has reported. The affordability and availability of eye care services are challenges in addressing these concerns, which are four times more common in low- and middle-income regions than in high-income regions.
The electronics giant is also expanding its capabilities to use reused Galaxy devices to make portable, smartphone-compatible colposcopes to screen for cervical cancer.
At the same time, Samsung’s recycling program, which primarily aims to provide innovative medical solutions to poor communities, is also helping to divert e-waste from landfills. Its reusable background camera gear is said to contain 35% recycled content.
THE BIGGEST TREND
Samsung has entered the healthcare industry with its suite of solutions incorporating its Knox security software solution. In addition, the electronics maker has introduced various digital health tools, the most recent of which are blood pressure measurement and ECG monitoring tools in its consumer smartwatches.
ON DISC
“People around the world face barriers to accessing basic healthcare and we saw an opportunity to design smart and innovative solutions that reuse products to foster more sustainable practices and have a positive impact in our communities,” said Sung-Koo Kim, vice president Office of Sustainability Management, Mobile Communications Company at Samsung Electronics.
Source: Oltnews