This hand-held AI kit can spot tuberculosis in minutes
What's the story
India has introduced a revolutionary AI-powered portable X-ray machine into its national tuberculosis (TB) program. The technology is being used to screen vulnerable populations for undiagnosed cases of TB. The hand-held device works like a regular hospital X-ray machine but is highly portable and battery-operated, making it ideal for remote areas with limited resources.
Screening process
How the AI-enabled X-ray machine works
The AI-enabled X-ray machine works by taking a chest scan and feeding the data into an AI tool. The tool then analyzes the scan for any white patches in the lungs, which are indicative of TB. This process is done within minutes, allowing for quick identification of undiagnosed TB cases within a patient's family.
Device specifications
Weighs between 1.8kg and 2.8kg
The portable X-ray machine weighs between 1.8kg and 2.8kg, making it easy to carry around in a backpack. The device comes as a set of a digital SLR-like X-ray beam generator, flat digital panel X-ray detector, tripod to mount the detector, and a laptop with built-in AI for reading the X-rays. A single charge can take up to 100 X-rays—ideal for camps in remote areas.
Validation process
AI X-ray devices validated by ICMR
Three AI-enabled X-ray devices have been validated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)—LabIndia's Mine2, Mylab's MyBeam, and Prognosys's Prorad Atlas. The portable X-ray machines were introduced in the national program during a 100-day campaign that started in December last year. Vulnerable people from 347 high-risk districts were tested to find TB cases in the community, especially those without any symptoms. During this campaign, 12.97 crore people were screened, of whom 7.19 lakh were found to have TB.