Google wants you to use your smartphone for detecting heart, eye conditions

Google has announced that it has plans of using smartphones for detecting heart-related and eye conditions. The move will make it easy for millions of Android device owners to detect critical health conditions sitting in the comfort of their homes.
The company said that it is testing a new method in which smartphones can be used for detecting heartbeats and murmurs. Google said that it plans to use the built-in microphones in a smartphone for recording heart sounds when placed over the chest.

In a blog post Google explained that listening to someone’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope is a critical part of a physical exam and that it helps doctors in detecting heart valve disorders, such as aortic stenosis. However, screening for aortic stenosis requires specialised equipment, like a stethoscope or an ultrasound along with an in-person assessment. But now, Google wants to use a smartphone, or more specifically, the microphones in a smartphone for detecting this condition and others like it.

“Our latest research investigates whether a smartphone can detect heartbeats and murmurs. We’re currently in the early stages of clinical study testing, but we hope that our work can empower people to use the smartphone as an additional tool for accessible health evaluation,” Google wrote in a post.

In addition to this, Google plans to use photos captured using smartphone cameras for detecting eye diseases related to diabetes and non-diabetes diseases. The company said that it is planning to work on a clinical research with partners, such as EyePACS and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH), to investigate if photos from smartphone cameras can help in detecting diabetes and non-diabetes diseases from external eye photos as well. “While this is in the early stages of research and development, our engineers and scientists envision a future where people, with the help of their doctors, can better understand and make decisions about health conditions from their own homes,” the company added.

This research is based on the company’s AI-based ARDA algorithm that aims to make it easy to screen people for signs of diabetic retinopathy.

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