In Japan, the development of medical devices that determine depression by artificial intelligence (AI) is underway.
The Sankei Shimbun reported on the 1st that a research team, including the International Telecommunications Basic Technology Institute, a third sector research institute in Japan, has obtained first-stage approval for medical devices from Japanese authorities.
According to reports, the research team is developing a medical device that accumulates brain image data of about 700 people taken with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantifies characteristics that appear in depressive patients to identify them as AI.
The goal is to obtain the second phase of approval next spring and receive medical insurance coverage in 2027.
When the device is released, doctors will be able to diagnose depression based on the results interpreted by AI, and the accuracy of determining depression is currently about 70%, Sankei said.
Meanwhile, the research team is also developing a technology to quantify schizophrenia and autism, and one of the goals is to build an AI system that can evaluate multiple mental disorders or disorders with a single measurement.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
