Kyocera-University Collaboration Working on AI-Digital Skin Cancer Analysis Tool

Kyocera subsidiary Kyocera Communication Systems Co., Ltd. (KCCS) has started joint research with the University of Tsukuba to develop an artificial ontelligence (AI) system capable of detecting melanoma and other skin diseases by analyzing digital images of a patient’s skin. The team aims to commercialize the technology by 2020.
 
KCCS is working with two professors from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Tsukubato develop an image-recognition system accurate enough to distinguish several types of skin malignancies, including melanoma. The next phase of their project will aim for image-based diagnostic support of any skin disease. 
 
The project benefits from a database of more than 200 clinical images accumulated over 20 years by the University of Tsukuba Hospital’s Department of Dermatology. The University’s experiences and knowledge including these images will be instrumental in assessing image-based diagnostic accuracy in real-world conditions, said KCCS.
 
KCCS and the University of Tsukuba will conduct joint research from March 2017 through March 2018, aiming toward a commercial application in the fiscal year ending March 2020. Furthermore, they plan to develop a system capable of identifying more than 2,000 different skin diseases from digital images by combining their respective resources and expertise in the future.

In Japan, the number of skin cancer patients has approximately doubled from 1999 through 2014. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has identified AI as a key technology in the healthcare and medical sector, according to the electronics maker.