Real time injecting device with automated robust vein detection using near infrared camera and live video

Abstract

During conflicts such as climatic catastrophe, war etc. in various countries, including underdeveloped countries, there has been a lack of experienced medical personnel leading to a significant rise in the death toll. To overcome this crisis, a real time automatic injecting device (AID) with robust vein detection is presented in this paper. This device is capable of automatically injecting medicines as well as withdrawing blood reducing the need for skilled nurses or doctors in these conflicted areas. Vein detection is a basic step for blood withdrawal. It has been a major problem for medical services such that even experienced doctors often have difficulty determining the best possible vein for intravenous drug delivery especially for children obese, patriarch. Improper detection of veins may lead to severe problems, starting off with blood clot, rashes, bruises etc. to amputation in worst case scenario. The procedure used for vein detection in this paper involves the use of a modified near IR camera to capture the image, from which, via image processing, the vein position for injecting can be determined with high precision. Live video feedback is included to ensure the perfect alignment of the needle and the determined vein position for injecting. A mechanical structure is developed to perform all the necessary hardware setup. Detected vein position for injection is sent to the mechanical system via Bluetooth for injecting medicines or withdrawing blood. With this system, experiments have been carried out and it resulted 92% accuracy in vein detection and very high precision in aligning needle with the targeted position, verified by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Medical Center, which is comparable to the accuracy of the experienced physicians. It is believed that with the cost effective design presented in this paper, AID can bring significant improvement in the modernization of the medical sector.