Tess Watt, the PhD student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh who led the project to develop the technology, said it is intended to enable early detection of skin conditions anywhere in the world, without the need for direct access to dermatologists.
The technology also works without internet access.
The system involves a patient taking a photograph of their skin complaint using a small camera attached to a Raspberry Pi device – a cheap, energy-efficient handheld computer capable of storing vast amounts of information.
The photograph is analysed in real-time using the latest state-of-the-art image classification, comparing it to an enormous dataset of thousands of images stored on the device to reach a diagnosis.
The findings are then shared with a local general practitioner (GP) to begin a suitable treatment plan.
The project is understood to be the first of its kind to incorporate AI medical diagnosis to serve remote communities.
“Healthcare from home is a really important topic at the moment, especially as GP wait times continue to grow,” Watt said. “If we can empower people to monitor skin conditions from their own homes using AI, we can dramatically reduce delays in diagnosis.”
A prototype of the device has already been demonstrated at Heriot-Watt’s advanced health and care technologies suite.
The research team said the tool is up to 85% accurate in its diagnostic capabilities, but they hope to increase this further by gaining access to more skin-lesion datasets, aided by advanced machine learning tools.
Watt is also in talks with National Health Service Scotland to begin the ethics approval process for testing the technology in real-world clinical settings.
“Hopefully in the next year or two, we’ll have a pilot project underway,” she said, noting that medical technology often takes years to move from prototype to implementation.
She added: “By the time I finish my PhD, three years from now, I’d love to see something well on its way to real-world use.”
The university said the long-term vision is to roll the system out first across remote regions of Scotland, before expanding it to global areas that have limited access to dermatological care.
It added that the technology could also offer vital support to patients who are infirm or unable to travel, allowing loved ones to assist with capturing and submitting diagnostic images to GPs.
UK science and technology secretary Peter Kyle commented on the research, saying: “Low-cost technology which could help detect skin cancer early and at home, without the need for internet access, is an incredible example of AI’s potential to break down barriers in healthcare and save lives.
“Promising, first-of-its-kind research like this also demonstrates the crucial role UK innovators can play in improving the lives of people of all backgrounds, wherever they live, and makes clear the value of government investing in research to deliver our change plan.”