A lot of the applications of big data and machine learning in healthcare have revolved around the provision of an early, or earlier, diagnosis of various conditions.  The general gist is that the machines have been better at detecting warning signs at a nascent stage than human clinicians.

The latest effort of this type comes from the British startup Vie, who have developed a box like device that they hope will be able to provide early warning about a number of chronic diseases.

Users simply have to place their hand inside the device, and it reports back a range of readings, including blood pressure, glucose levels, blood oxygen and cholesterol.  It uses an array of sensors, including PPG, ECG and optical pressure sensors to ensure an accurate reading, with the data then fed to an app via Wi-fi.

So far, so (relatively) standard, but where the device is interesting is that it achieves all of this by drawing three drops of blood by using a vacuum.  The blood is drawn from the layer of skin that doesn’t contain any nerves, hence the whole process is painless for the user.

The blood is then analyzed in seconds, with rapid results returned to the user via a mobile app.  From here, the data can be compared against goals set by the user, and also shared with their doctor should they choose.

The company claim to be able to detect 80% of chronic diseases with the device, which will retail for around £300, with a £29 subscription per month, with shipments due to begin at the start of 2018.