Google has been working to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into its consumer-facing products like Gmail, Docs, YouTube, and Drive, among others. Apart from these, the company has also been investing in other areas where AI has a use case. According to a patent, Google has prototyped an “Augmented Reality Microscope” or ARM to help doctors spot cancer.
The ARM has been developed in conjunction with the Department of Defense and it incorporates AI enhancements that provide visual indicators like heatmaps or object boundaries, in real-time.
“A microscope of the type used by a pathologist to view slides containing biological samples such as tissue or blood is provided with the projection of enhancements to the field of view, such as a heatmap, border, or annotations, substantially in real time as the slide is moved to new locations or changes in magnification or focus occur,” the patent reads.
“The enhancements assist the pathologist in characterising or classifying the sample, such as being positive for the presence of cancer cells or pathogens,” it added.
No plans to replace existing microscopes
The ARM, which was first teased publicly in 2018, has not been used to diagnose patients yet. Apparently, there are 13 prototypes of the ARM that are being tested so they can assist doctors in everyday clinicians.
Google wants to create a system that can be “retrofitted into existing light microscopes found in hospitals and clinics”. ARM-equipped microscopes can provide visual feedback, including text, arrows, contours, heat maps, or animations, each tailored to unique assessment goals.
Google chatbot for life advice
Last month, reports suggested that Google is testing a generative AI chatbot, like Bard, that can give users life lessons when they are feeling low. Google DeepMind, the company’s recently-created AI arm, has been working on at least 21 different types of AI-powered solutions.
The company partnered with the contractor Scale AI to assess the chatbot’s proficiency in answering intimate queries.
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