HONEYWELL UNVEILS NEW TECHNOLOGY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO SPEED UP AND SIMPLIFY HEALTHCARE TESTING
Breakthrough Digital Holographic Microscopy technology can help determine whether patients have an infection at the point-of-care, shortening time to treatment
Mumbai, 28th February, 2025 – Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) today announced that it has developed a new technology, Digital Holographic Microscopy, that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help count and classify tiny particles or cells. This technology has the potential to be used across many industries where timely analysis and simplified operations are critical.
Within
the healthcare industry, for example, Digital Holographic Microscopy can be
used to shorten treatment time for patients receiving at-home peritoneal
dialysis. These patients are susceptible to abdominal lining infections – due
to the time it takes to send the samples to a lab with specialized equipment,
today it can take 1-2 days to diagnose these infections, during which time the
patient’s condition can often worsen if not treated.
To
help address this challenge, Digital Holographic Microscopy can capture images
of the patient’s dialysis fluid at the point-of-care by using a portable device
with a laser, imager sensor and disposable microscope slide. These images are
analyzed by AI algorithms to rapidly determine if the number and type of white
blood cells indicates an infection so patients can receive appropriate
treatment more quickly and effectively.
“We
are seeing a growing need for solutions that can provide results that are both
rapid and precise, empowering healthcare professionals to make informed
decisions quickly,” said Sarah Martin, president of Honeywell Sensing
Solutions. “We have invested in innovations like Digital Holographic Microscopy
because of their power to make testing and analysis more accessible to patients
while also improving patient care and efficiency across our healthcare system.”
Beyond
clinical care, Digital Holographic Microscopy can be used in environmental
applications to analyze types and amounts of various air pollutants to help
achieve safer indoor air levels. It can also monitor cells and other organisms
in liquid samples for quality and safety.
Additional
Information on Digital Holographic Microscopy
Digital
Holographic Microscopy produces high-resolution images without the need for
expensive and complex lenses and opto-mechanical systems found in a traditional
microscope. Instead, this technology uses light passing through a sample to
generate unfocused hologram images, which are then processed by computational
algorithms so they can be interpreted.
This
novel technology has advantages over conventional microscopy, particularly
because it allows for simple and portable instrument design, which facilitates
testing and analysis at the point-of-use rather than requiring samples to be
sent to a lab. By using machine learning algorithms to differentiate between
types of cells, it also eliminates the need for staining, which simplifies
biological sample preparation. In addition, it can replace or supplement sample
analysis, enabling faster results with a simplified workflow.
Developing
solutions that leverage AI and machine learning to help expedite treatment for
patients with chronic conditions and streamline laboratory analysis supports
Honeywell’s alignment of its portfolio to three compelling megatrends, including
automation.
To
learn about other potential uses for Digital Holographic Microscopy and to
explore how Honeywell is innovating in the AI and advanced sensing space, visit
this website.
About
Honeywell:
Honeywell
is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and
geographies around the world. Our business is aligned with three powerful
megatrends – automation, the future of aviation and energy transition –
underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge
IoT platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's
toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and
innovations through our Aerospace Technologies, Industrial Automation, Building
Automation and Energy and Sustainability Solutions business segments that help
make the world smarter, safer and more sustainable. For more news and
information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.