The AI doctor will see you now

If artificial intelligence in healthcare brings to mind visions of robot surgeons, BioIntellisense's stick-on sensor is bound to be a disappointment. Just 3 inches wide by 1 inch tall, this plastic and metal double hexagon was cleared last month by the US Food and Drug Administration for remote monitoring of vital signs with medical-grade accuracy. Doctors at UCHealth, which runs 12 Colorado hospitals, say the device will let them send patients home earlier while still monitoring their respiratory rate, resting heart rate, skin temperature and even body position. The data can then be fed into computers that use machine learning to spot people who might need more attention, allowing early intervention and avoiding emergency hospital visits. UCHealth has already used computer surveillance to fight sepsis, a potentially fatal complication from infection, on its wards.