AI chair reads vital signs in under a minute at Dubai hospital

For patients arriving at a hospital in Dubai, the first minutes of a visit could soon look very different. Researchers at Dubai Medical University are building an AI-equipped chair that measures vital signs in under a minute, part of a broader push to bring artificial intelligence into everyday healthcare.

The device, known as the AI Diagnostics Vital Chair, is designed to streamline triage, the process by which hospital staff decide how urgently each patient needs care. Hessa Yahya Lootah, head of AI and innovation at the university, told Arab News that cameras and sensors on the chair can capture a patient’s weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and skin temperature, then send the information directly to the doctor.

“Typically, triage can take around five to seven minutes. We have developed a chair that aims to reduce the process to around 45 seconds, compared with an average of approximately four minutes in our current measurements,” Lootah said.

For patients, the change is meant to be felt as much as measured. “We want to make the process as easy as possible for patients because coming to a hospital can already be stressful,” she said. For doctors, the goal is to free up time and space so they can concentrate on examining patients, diagnosing conditions and discussing treatment rather than lengthy initial assessments.

The technology is still a prototype and has not yet been perfected. Lighting is one of the biggest challenges, according to Lootah: the system relies partly on light reflected from the face, so dim lighting or glare can distort readings. The team is working to make it adaptable to different lighting conditions, skin tones and skin conditions, and the university hopes to commercialize the chair as a complete system.

Meanwhile, the university’s innovation program reaches further afield. A medical assistance drone is being developed to carry a first-aid kit to injured people in remote locations, with an AI system built into the kit. Programmed around the kit’s six compartments, the system would assess the nature of an injury and guide the person through the appropriate steps, offering an initial response while emergency assistance is on the way.

The drone’s AI is deliberately designed to work offline, so it can help in areas where network connection is unavailable or unstable. “If a connection is available, the plan is for a doctor to be reachable. But if communication is difficult, the AI system could provide a first line of assistance. We are still at the prototype stage and have not finalized the deployment logistics,” Lootah explained.

A third project, the AI Safe Gate, is aimed at schools and universities. Using thermal cameras, it flags students with potentially abnormal temperatures and alerts administrators and nursing staff, who can then decide whether further action is needed. Lootah said the system is intended to identify potential health concerns early and limit the spread of illness among students.

Taken together, the projects reflect a conviction that artificial intelligence is changing how healthcare is delivered and experienced. “Students are thinking about developing applications and systems that make life easier for healthcare professionals and other people. AI has opened the door to more opportunities, and the field continues to expand,” Lootah said.

Whether the vital chair can move from prototype to hospital waiting room, and how quickly, may be the real test of that conviction.