DUBAI: Challenges persist and yet science and technology, clipped with innovation and collaboration between and among open-minded people from the world over that unceasingly move forward, remain to be the gateways for improving healthcare systems.

This was the key message at the opening day of the Dubai Health Forum 2018, inaugurated on Monday morning at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai by Dubai Health Authority director general-board chairman Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami.

Under the patronage of UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the two-day summit gathers healthcare experts along with their counterparts in Information Communication and Technology, policy-makers, decision-makers, scientists and youth representatives from at least 26 countries to discuss existing as well as emerging trends in all aspects of life with the aim of continually enhancing the delivery of excellent patient care.

One of the interesting topics on Monday was the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry.

IBM Watson Health-Foundation Innovation director Dr Eric Brown said AI has been in existence since the 1950s.  But, derails in its progress between the 1970s and 1980s have it only become popular some 20 years back.

One of the consequences of the re-emergence of AI—that concept of machine-based intelligence platforms vis-à-vis natural human intelligence—is the Netscape browser plug-in navigation text to speech app of Japanese “blind scientist engineer/researcher” Chieko Asakawa for the visually-impaired.

The app is currently on its pilot tests and first introduced in the Middle East through the Dubai Health Forum 2018 after having its debut in one of the international events of IBM.

Asakawa was born with normal sight but at age 11, one of her eyes hit the tiles of a swimming pool upon diving. By age 14, she totally lost her sight.

Forum delegates gave a resounding applause when she presented her GPS-like app in which video clips demonstrated how this could help people like her become independent.

One case is that the tool could read exactly monetary denominations like “1,000 Japanese Yen, 20 Mexican Pesos, 10 Canadian Dollars, 10 US Dollars, 10 Australian Dollars, 500 Mexican Pesos” and even 100 Emirati dirhams as well as 50 Emirati dirhams.

In one of her outdoor experiments and while Asakawa was taking a leisure walk, the app recognised her friend detected by the app to be walking towards the opposite direction. This person asked her how she was able to identify him correctly.

The app has the ability for facial and environment recognitions.

Moreover, the “speaker” was able to communicate with Asakawa that another passer-by was busy with his conversation over the mobile phone so this man ignored her greeting.

Another instance was that the app was able to recognise a bag of potato chips.

When Asakawa lifted a bag of almond chocolates and placed it under her mobile phone for the identification or recognition, the “speaker” reminded her that she already consumed so much of it “yesterday.”

Another video clip showed how she was able to successfully navigate herself through one of the huge department stores in Tokyo and aided her in buying whatever she needed.

The IBM Japan Ltd. multi-awarded researcher admitted that the app could mis-identify some objects such as one’s own personal belongings.

According to IBM Japan Ltd. senior manager Hironobu Takagi, Asakawa has been continually into the research of innovations and technology to improve the accessibility and mobility of the blind and visually-impaired: “She works with two teams. I am one of them. It is hard work.”

Asakawa told The Gulf Today: “There is the AI. There is the IOT (the sensors, smart cities, smart phones). If we already have these, we have to make use of these so we can help one another. I had difficulty in accessibility and mobility.”

She is eyeing that between two and three years, the app, will see more enhancements for much better assistance to people like her.

“We are open to collaboration,” when asked how the app could be made available worldwide.  

Meanwhile, at some point in his talk, Brown noted that it is basically the garbage in-garbage out concept that has permitted AI to resurface and flourish.

He added that Asakawa’s GPS-like invention may be adapted in other situations and circumstances.