A cost-effective and portable system for automatic diagnostics of pneumonia in children

Pneumonia remains the world’s leading cause of death among children under five. Pneumonia is usually diagnosed based on x-ray images and lab or clinical examination, but trained personnel and resources are scarce in rural communities in Peru. Innovators have developed a highly sensitive and specific algorithm of pattern recognition that will be printed on a circuit board. This hardware box will be linked to an inexpensive and portable ultrasound echograph, and to a smartphone with dedicated software. Digital images will be transmitted from the echograph to the box and smartphone. This will allow real-time processing and interpretation of the images. Combining novel pattern recognition, hardware computing and new technology will create affordable and portable ultrasounds that contribute in the fight against pneumonia in the poorest settings. This project is funded under a collaborative agreement between CONCYTEC (Peru’s National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation) and Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the Government of Canada) to support Stars in Global Health innovators based in Peru.