Google to help detect cancer, creating a microscope AI and AR

Google Partners with DIU

To improve the accuracy of cancer diagnoses Google has won a contract with the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to use recent technological advancements. On a big scale, if we talk about the diagnoses of cancer, roundabout five percent of diagnoses are made incorrectly. And in those half cases, the incorrect diagnosis causes problems further down the road.

What will Google exactly do?

From photos taken from a microscope, Google aims to train an AI using the open-source platform TensorFlow to detect cancerous cells. Development of neural networks has already been started with the help of Google Cloud Healthcare API to de-identify and segment existing datasets. They’ll design their microscope with an integrated AR (augmented reality) once the AI is fully trained. AR overlay will show the physician’s information about the likelihood of cells being cancerous.

Aims: Speed and Accuracy

Mike Daniels, vice president of Google Cloud’s department for the Global Public Sector says that to effectively treat cancer, speed and accuracy are critical aspects for consideration. So to match these standards Google is partnering with the DIU to provide our machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. This will help frontline healthcare practitioners learn about capabilities that can improve the lives of our military men and women and their families.

Work Easy for Physicians

With this new partnership, Google hopes that their method will reduce the “overwhelming volume of data” faced by physicians. This will help physicians to make diagnoses faster and cheaper along with the major advantage of increased accuracy. Although the usage of AI in medical lines on a wider scale is still in a long run. 

How will technology enroll?

Firstly the technology will be used for research only as the first shipment of microscopes will be sent to Defense Health Agency treatment facilities. Afterward for real-world trialing the technology will roll out to the broader US Military Health System and Veteran’s Affairs hospitals.

Currently, an amount of $1.7 billion is spent by the Defense Health Agency on cancer research annually. For including more AI projects to enroll in the coming years the budget would increase further.