Using Artificial Intelligence to Detect Asbestos

Humans cannot see, smell or taste airborne asbestos fibers. Identifying them through a microscope requires the eye of a trained analyst — but perhaps not for long. Australian engineer Jordan Gruber is working on technology that can automatically detect asbestos from the air around a worksite. Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers is the primary cause of mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer. The past use of asbestos in building materials has led to great suffering among Americans and Australians alike. Gruber got into robotics so he could work on self-driving cars. But when his brother became an occupational hygienist specializing in asbestos removal and monitoring, Gruber realized the need for technology that can help prevent on-the-job asbestos exposure. At age 23, Gruber founded Frontier Microscopy. “My team and I are driven to applying our knowledge to reducing risk to workers and the public,” Gruber told Asbestos.com. “In effect, we are driven to apply artificial intelligence and robotics to save lives.” A Microscope Called Marvin Currently, only specialized laboratories can identify asbestos. A technician typically has to examine a sample through a microscope for 15 minutes and manually document their findings. They risk exposure to asbestos in the process. Frontier Microscopy is developing a system called Marvin to streamline this process. Marvin’s robotic microscope takes hundreds of pictures across an air filter sample in seconds. The robot then uploa...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news