{"id":474430,"date":"2024-04-10T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=474430"},"modified":"2024-04-10T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T04:30:00","slug":"skinives-ai-detects-skin-diseases-through-your-smartphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/skinives-ai-detects-skin-diseases-through-your-smartphone\/","title":{"rendered":"Skinive’s AI detects skin diseases through your smartphone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From time to time, we all, looking in the mirror, find out that a new mole has appeared on our skin. The most hypochondriac ones are likely to rush browsing the internet to quickly find out that they might be affected by many incurable diseases. Often\u2014 although a medical check is always good\u2014 there is not that much to panic about. Rather than getting lost in the rabbit hole of Google search results, the health tech company\u2019s Skinive<\/a> smartphone app gives its users a first answer after taking a picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this is important:<\/h2>

Among the possibilities AI offers is its capability to process images, understand the content, and recognize patterns within them. This can come in handy for early disease detection, both X-ray scans and our skin. <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Skinive comes in a step before accessing care as a prediagnostic tool. Simply put, it advises you whether or not that mole is dangerous and what doctor to talk to for the rash that appeared on your skin. In a way, it gives the user a first answer\u2014 not a definitive one. \u201cWe help people understand when they need to visit a doctor and what specialist to refer to,\u201d clarifies Kirill Sokol, CEO of Skinive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image processing is one of the most powerful possibilities offered by artificial intelligence AI applications that work with it can understand, interpret, and manipulate visual data and pictures. Most importantly, they can extract information from images. Such potential can be of great help in healthcare, too. In general, any help is welcome in a sector that faces an aging population and a personnel shortage, leading to long waits for specialist checks already today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As in any other smartphone app, users can create a profile. There, they fill in their data and set their skin tone. Then, they can start scanning. When taking a picture, Skinive\u2019s algorithm does some checks. First, at least seventy percent of the photo must be covered by skin to be processed. Then, if the picture is blurred, it doesn\u2019t analyze it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking a picture of the skin pathology, the app provides a risk assessment and an indication of the disease. The app also saves the user’s skin scans and keeps track of them. \u201cIf you want to repeat the skin test on a mole, you can compare its condition at different moments in time,\u201d explains Sokol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, the app passed the two million analysis milestone, providing 100.000 scans per month. Over 250.000 people downloaded the app. The Amsterdam-based company was officially founded in 2020, but its journey started three years before. The team worked in stealth mode for that period, researching and building a database. Nowadays, Skinive\u2019s app can distinguish the fifty most common skin diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
\"\"<\/div><\/div>
AI model outperforms current skin cancer detection methods<\/div>
A group of scientists developed an AI model capable of predicting skin cancer risk based on a face photograph. The Erasmus Medical Center (EMC) in Rotterdam researchers’ model outperforms current assessment methods. <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Helping medical professionals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Besides the smartphone app for general consumers, Skinive also offers support to healthcare professionals. In fact, Sokol\u2019s team also offers a version of their app for primary care specialists, such as general practitioners (GPs). This way, non-specialized doctors can access the app’s prediagnostic capability, helping their patients better. Skinive obtained medical certification, so that it can be used in medical settings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sokol: \u201cSkin conditions are one of the main reasons patients visit their GP. Therefore, we also developed a version for them, with a symptom checker that helps understand what is dangerous and what specialist patients need to refer. In a way, we help front-line doctors discern symptoms similarly to how a dermatologist does.\u201d Skinive envisions connecting the smartphone and the doctors\u2019 app in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Sokol, being open with doctors about the technology and explaining it in detail helps break the skepticism that might exist about AI. Skinive faced such resistance at the beginning of its journey, but \u201clittle by little, we are breaking that barrier,\u201d says Sokol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an article from our magazine IO Next: AI for good<\/a>. The fact that AI is becoming an increasing part of our lives is a given. But what impact will this technology have on our lives in the future? This magazine edition focuses on precisely that question.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI\u2019s impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More and more experts talk about AI as a horizontal technology that impacts all domains. Healthcare is no exception, and AI strengths can greatly benefit the sector. For instance, several research groups investigated the potential of AI to detect cancer from X-ray scans, often proving that it is better at it than humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before starting Skinive, Sokol was the head of telehealth, a company that offered telemedicine services\u2014similarly to Zoom, these technologies offer care from a distance. Telemedicine is surely an important innovation for the healthcare sector, but AI’s potential is unmatched, according to Sokol. \u201cAI can deliver more value to consumers and professionals, from analyzing pictures to creating new molecules. However, AI can\u2019t replace doctors, but can help them in their practice,\u201d he states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Room for improvement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With AI just beginning its development, Sokol sees a lot of room for growth. \u201cI see more space for improving. We covered the fifty most common skin diseases, but dermatology knows hundreds more. We could also look at nail and hair diseases. And our technology can be implemented elsewhere, such as in smart mirrors or other medical devices.\u201d Skinive\u2019s CEO envisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The application has been available in its English version for some years in all of Europe. This year, Skinive plans to launch a German and a French version to cater to more users. \u201cNowadays, everyone wants to look healthy and beautiful. Seeing our users\u2019 positive feedback motivates me to continue this journey,\u201d Sokol concludes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From time to time, we all, looking in the mirror, find out that a new mole has appeared on our skin. The most hypochondriac ones are likely to rush browsing the internet to quickly find out that they might be affected by many incurable diseases. Often\u2014 although a medical check is always good\u2014 there is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2084,"featured_media":506023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34665],"tags":[43952,34234,43164],"location":[6763],"article_type":[43139],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[82795],"class_list":["post-474430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-ai-for-good","tag-skin-cancer","tag-skinive","location-netherlands","article_type-features","reboot-archive-data"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Skinive\u2019s algorithm can detect up to fifty skin diseases simply by taking a picture with your smartphone.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Mauro Mereu","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/mauro-mereu\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/skinive.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Health<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["AI for Good<\/a>","skin cancer<\/a>","Skinive<\/a>"],"unlinked":["AI for Good<\/span>","skin cancer<\/span>","Skinive<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 10, 2024","modified":"Updated on April 10, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 10, 2024 6:30 am","modified":"Updated on April 10, 2024 6:30 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=474430"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=474430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}