The first portable, low-cost, robotized scanner microscope that converts any smartphone into a high quality and intelligent tele-microscopy image diagnosis system

Project Information

MicroSpot

Grant agreement ID: 808405

DOI

10.3030/808405

Project closed

EC signature date 31 January 2018

Start date 1 February 2018

End date 31 July 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SPOTLAB SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MicroSpot (The first portable, low-cost, robotized scanner microscope that converts any smartphone into a high quality and intelligent tele-microscopy image diagnosis system)

Reporting period: 2018-02-01 to 2018-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Healthcare accounts for approximately 10% of global gross domestic product. While the average life expectancy increases and some diseases are disappearing, other diseases raise. Cost of healthcare is a major economical challenge leading to unequal distribution of health benefits, which starts with the access to medical diagnosis. This situation and the new industrial revolution creates an opportunity to transform and innovate in the healthcare domain. In a world looking for Universal Health Coverage, local health institutions typically lack of access to microscopists and expert analysts. MicroSpot is the first portable and low-cost, robotized scanner microscope that converts any smartphone into a high quality intelligent microscopic image diagnostic system. MicroSpot makes possible to analyze samples in situ, saving time to both patients and doctors. It aims to remove the barriers that keep about 800 million people from getting access to proper medical care, not only by being affordable, but also being portable and ubiquitous. MicroSpot leverages the power of artificial intelligence to democratize the access to image diagnosis.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The innovative nature of SpotLab products’ and services’ has been assessed during SME instrument (phase-1) testing with customers’ and partners in public hospitals, biomedical investigation centres in Spain, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Colombia. Through the tests performed with these partners our prototype has been improved and technically validated. Spotlab has established processes to reach quality standards and its products are being developed in accordance to Medical Devices EU Directives. Spotlab has mapped different options for protecting industrial property and trademarks and designed a partnership strategy that involves collateral industries as 3d printing or the mobile industry. A key component of SpotLab is its multidisciplinary team, an agile way of working and shared values and principles which are embedded in every step Spotlab takes. Being sustainable, responsible, transparent and work hard for social impact are key. Compass over maps. Spotlab products demonstrate a disruptive innovation in the context of medical image diagnoses systems through its own I+D+I development pipeline. We expect to do further technology validation and testing in Phase 2 as full products are certificated and on their way to the market.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

A technologically challenging product, MicroSpot modular architecture combines both hardware and software, artificial intelligence and user centered design. MicroSpot will offer tailored data processing pipelines and protocols to different clients and use cases by iterating design and development of the system with the final users themselves. This multidisciplnary nature of MicroSpot locates Spotlab in a space between big medical devices companies and software/AI companies, a space where advances and innovation can reach millions of people pushing digital health one step further. SpotLab vision is proposing a new generation of ubiquitous connected medical devices that ensure that every citizen in the world has access to quality image diagnostics, a requirement to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Spotlab aims to create sustainable disruptive innovations that have a positive social impact.

MicroSpot from Spotlab