Global technology conglomerate Honeywell unveiled a new Digital Holographic Microscopy technology that uses AI to streamline medical diagnostics, enabling faster and more efficient patient care. It has potential applications across various industries, but its most immediate impact could be in healthcare testing, particularly for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis patients face a heightened risk of abdominal lining infections, which currently take one to two days to diagnose due to the need for specialised laboratory equipment. Honeywell’s digital holographic microscopy aims to reduce this diagnostic time by capturing high-resolution images of a patient’s dialysis fluid at the point-of-care using a portable device.

AI algorithms analyse these images to determine white blood cell counts, allowing for rapid infection detection and enabling quicker treatment decisions.

As noted by Sarah Martin, president of Honeywell Sensing Solutions, the demand for rapid and precise diagnostics is increasing, requiring tools that enable quicker decision-making. Innovations such as digital holographic microscopy enhance accessibility to testing while improving efficiency in healthcare systems.

Unlike conventional microscopes, Digital Holographic Microscopy does not require expensive lenses or complex optical systems. Instead, it utilises light passing through a sample to generate holographic images, which are then processed using computational algorithms. 

AI and machine learning models help differentiate between cell types, eliminating the need for chemical staining, making biological sample preparation easier and faster.

While its immediate focus is on healthcare, this can also be used in environmental monitoring. The technology can analyse air pollutants to assess indoor air quality and monitor microbial content in liquid samples, ensuring water safety in industries such as pharmaceuticals and food production.

Big Tech and Healthcare

Interestingly, a number of big tech companies and venture funds are investing in healthcare. Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Oracle are just a few of the tech titans in the space. 

Honeywell has also been supporting rising startups. A few years ago Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell, partnered with IISc’s Society of Innovation and Development (SID) to support deep-tech startups. The initiative aimed to help startups transition from incubation to securing early seed investments.

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