AI-powered TCM device brings classic diagnostics to ASEAN

An AI-powered device that analyzes a person's health condition using traditional Chinese medicine methods has been developed independently by the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.

It is now undergoing trials in Malaysia, Niger, and other countries across the globe. It has won wide acclaim locally for making time-honored Chinese medicine diagnostic services much more convenient and accessible to the public.

A resident tries out the device. [Photo/Guangxi Daily]

The device automates TCM's four classic diagnostic methods – observing, listening, asking, and palpating. Users only need facial and tongue scans, AI pulse diagnosis, and a short health questionnaire to get a detailed physical constitution report in 3-5 minutes, including health preservation suggestions tailored to their physical type.

It can identify nine primary TCM constitutions and predict 16 potential health risks, thereby addressing the limitations of traditional TCM diagnosis, which relies on doctors' subjective experience.

The hospital's interdisciplinary team built a standardized dataset of over 100,000 cases and optimized algorithms, boosting the assessment accuracy to over 92 percent for diverse ethnic groups.

The device visualizes and quantifies TCM diagnosis, serving as a practical tool for local doctors and a bridge for TCM cultural communication overseas.

With positive trial feedback, it can be flexibly deployed in hospitals, communities, physical examination centers, and malls, bringing TCM physical constitution assessment services to people's daily lives.