Eyetracking can advance the diagnosis of neurological, visual or degenerative diseases by up to 10 years
It is now possible to intervene in patients without using their hands or to guide remote operations by specialized medical teams between hospitals around the world.
Gesture recognition or eye-tracking allows medical staff to consult information on a computer in any non-invasive intervention
Health technology has an annual turnover of 7.69 billion euros
Technology every day surprises with applications that seem taken from science fiction. However, great strides have been made in recent years to move from being futuristic to being real technologies, applied in everyday life. Over the last year, research has accelerated and the fundamental role that technology plays in the health of the population, in the functioning of the medical system and in society in general has been highlighted. It has been shown to be a very effective tool and plays an important role in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of pathologies, as well as the efficient management of medical spaces and processes. It is necessary to take advantage of all the potential that this industry can bring to society, and that is that the health technology sector is an engine for the economy, with an annual turnover of 7.69 billion euros (1).
It is not surprising, therefore, that globally it is estimated that the Touchless market will have a turnover of 13 billion euros in 2025 (2) and that 50% of applications will include at least one type of ‘Touchless experience such as gaze, voice, gestures or virtual reality or augmented reality in two years (3).
“It’s not science fiction. Technology allows for endless high-impact healthcare applications in patients’ lives and in the capabilities of medical staff. However, it’s critical that researchers have access to these technologies to be able to research and develop everything. its potential applied to healthcare Technology companies should put their devices and developments at the service of healthcare staff and institutions free of charge to allow substantial advances.From Irisbond we are promoting various initiatives in this regard and we have already ceded to different centers our technology and devices for research in pilot projects of different kinds “, affirms Eduardo Jáuregui, CEO of Irisbond.
That is why the Spanish company Irisbond highlights 5 technological applications that are revolutionizing medicine.
Early diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s
It is tremendously effective in diagnosing neurological, degenerative, or vision disorders; as well as the treatment of many conditions for both the elderly and children. It has been found that the use of eye tracking technology can advance the diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or dementia by as much as 10 years, greatly improving recovery and treatment, as well as a change in quality of life of the patient. This application is of particular importance given the progressive aging of today’s society, which poses a challenge for medicine globally. See the work published in 2019 (4)
Eyetracking offers enormous potential for neurology, with this technology vital neurophysiological data can be obtained from the elderly population on a daily basis, thus facilitating diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up. The same goes for diseases like dyslexia, where technology provides support for assessing cognitive impairment.
Remote operations
In the operating room, time and precision are paramount, which is why Touchless technologies such as gesture recognition or eye-tracking are already being used to consult information on a computer in any non-invasive intervention. This is the case, for example, of operations with orthopedic implants or cardiovascular devices. It will be possible to make a management of information and analysis in real time on what is being seen during an operation. Thus, physicians could turn to an information history to make decisions on the go by drawing on references to previous similar operations.
Also, and what’s even more spectacular, teams of medical specialists can guide others in hospitals thousands of miles away during operations, thanks to artificial intelligence solutions. As an example we can find the one performed by Dr. Antonio de Lacy during the Mobile World Congress 2019 and which became the first remote surgery thanks to 5G technology.
Assisted communication technology for patients with disabilities
One of the first developments in this technology has focused on improving the quality of life of people with varying degrees of disability. Known as assisted communication technology, it allows the patient to communicate with their environment freely and autonomously, thus giving them freedom and independence. For example, in patients with severe neuromotor disorders, with severe involvement of both upper limbs and inability to communicate orally or in writing, primarily patients with ALS, basilar artery thrombosis, infantile cerebral palsy, cranioencephalic trauma, and pontine myelinolysis. In the Official State Gazette of April 27, 2019, it was announced the expansion of the portfolio of services of the National Health System, which announced the total subsidy for eye readers from January of 2020. Specifically the first to launch it was the Generalitat Valenciana, which awarded the first tender for the supply of eye devices to Irisbond, for being the pioneering company in support technologies with the first eye-tracking software of 100% Spanish manufacturing and development. This system includes the eye reader, computer software, training and care of the patient and / or caregiver, as well as all installation and after-sales services. Eye readers allow the patient to control any device with the gaze. Combined with accessible programs for communication, the patient can express themselves autonomously with their environment because, among other features, they can speak through virtual keyboards and synthesized voice, surf the Internet, use their social networks or even learning to read and write. Thanks to this, the quality of life and self-esteem of the person improve markedly.
Improvement and efficiency of doctor-patient communication
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of technology for the prevention of contagion and has accelerated its widespread application. In fact, a global WHO survey revealed that during the first months of the pandemic – between March and June 2020 – 90% of countries suffered disruptions to their essential health services. Specifically, emergency services were interrupted by almost a quarter, the treatment of mental health disorders by 61%, and the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by 55%, with its devastating consequences. Touchless technologies allow, among other aspects, that the sanitary ware work to distance, establishing like this the measures of distancing pertinent and more avoid unnecessary displacements.
The use of video conferencing for medical consultations has become increasingly widespread, which, among other things, has decongested the health care system in the first instance. Pilot programs are also being launched to develop physician-patient communication solutions in situations where verbal communication is not possible, such as in ICUs and with intubated patients.
Avoid touching surfaces to minimize contagion
Undoubtedly, hospitals are critical areas of contagion from any disease. And is that, given the widespread use of technology in hospitals, the interaction in these spaces through contactless technology, can be useful to reduce the opportunities for pollution.
In the United States, healthcare associated infections (IRES) cause 99,000 attributable deaths and cost $ 6.5 trillion a year. In Europe, they account for 16 million extra days of hospitalization, 37,000 attributable deaths and 7 trillion euros a year (5).
Today the technology of ‘zero contact’ already allows to avoid interacting unnecessarily with many surfaces, thanks to eye tracking, commands by voice or movement. Specifically, it is now possible to interact with the screens, facilitate access to information, call the elevators or activate the opening or closing of accesses.
(1) Data from Fenin (Spanish Federation of Health Technology Companies) for 2019
(2) Gesture recognition and tactless detection market by technology (tactile and tactile-based), product (healthcare equipment, tactile biometrics), type (online, offline) Industry and geography – Global forecast to 2025
(3) Study conducted by Gartner
(4) Oyama, A., Takeda, S., Ito, Y. et al. New method for rapid assessment of cognitive impairment using high-performance eye tracking technology. Sci Rep 9, 12932 (2019).
(5) World Health Organization. Report on the burden of health-associated endemic infections worldwide. Geneva: WHO, 2011.
About Irisbond – It is a technology company of Basque origin founded by the engineer Eduardo Jáuregui in 2013. A pioneer in support technologies, Irisbond bases its solutions on years of R&D. Irisbond’s advanced software algorithms, based on intel Artificial intelligence, capture the movement of the eyes and translate it into precise movements within a screen. Thanks to this, anyone can access all the information naturally, intuitively and without the use of hands; creating a new way of relating to our environment through eyetracking technologies. The technology has been developed for uses in areas as diverse as mobile devices, automotive, smart homes, robotics, science, health and production.