Google has unveiled a new piece of technology that is poised to help cancer researchers automate their analysis. The Augmented Reality Microscope (ARM) is a microscope with built-in machine learning capabilities to help researchers with their cancer research.
By using a camera alongside a computer, the system can analyse the current slide set in the microscope in real time. The computing hardware can process data at 10 frames per second, with magnification ranging from 4 to 40 times.
The platform is currently under peer review; it has successfully identified breast cancer metastases in lymph node specimens and early signs of prostate cancer. However, the promise of the system goes beyond just a single type of cancer research; thanks to machine learning, it can easily learn to detect many other types of cancer as well in the future.
While the platform is still under development, it has shown promise of revolutionising how medical research will be like in the next decade. The next big break for medicine may just be discovered under one of these Google-powered microscopes.
(Source: Google Labs)
