Doctor uses AI to help expecting mothers

More than 300,000 women in North Carolina live in an area that does not have enough hospitals or birthing centers, or in some cases, any at all, according to data from March of Dimes.

Now, researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill are using AI technology to provide more resources for those expecting mothers.

Here’s how it works: users plug in battery-powered ultrasound devices into a smartphone or tablet. The app then guides the user through the ultrasound to collect data, including age, size, and position of the baby.

“It’s going to tell me the gestational age of the fetus, the estimated fetal weight,” Research project manager Srihari Chari said. “On the results screen, if there’s anything that might be concerning, we include a little yellow exclamation point.”

The goal is to be able to increase the app’s capabilities to diagnose more in the future, like certain birth defects or ectopic pregnancies, which are life threatening.