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Discover new technologies by our partners

Leveraging our wide network of partners, we have curated numerous enabling technologies available for licensing and commercialisation across different industries and domains. Our focus also extends to emerging technologies in Singapore and beyond, where we actively seek out new technology offerings that can drive innovation and accelerate business growth.

By harnessing the power of these emerging technologies and embracing new technology advancements, businesses can stay at the forefront of their fields. Explore our technology offers and collaborate with partners of complementary technological capabilities for co-innovation opportunities. Reach out to IPI Singapore to transform your business with the latest technological advancements.

Bio-Based Compostable Pressure Sensitive Adhesive
Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are viscous resins that are designed to adhere to various substrates under light pressure. Majority of commercially available PSAs are derived from non-renewable petroleum sources such as acrylics and silicones, providing the required bonding performance for either permanent or removable applications for use in labels and packaging. However, conventional PSAs present environmental concerns at their end of life, even when its substrate is biodegradable. The technology on offer is a patented bio-based, compostable PSAs comprising of 95% soy and other bio-derived materials that costs less than petroleum adhesives. These PSAs can bond to a variety of substrates (including paper and foams), contains no solvent or water, lowers CO2 emissions when compared to conventional PSA. It can be applied using standard application techniques (slot die or gravure systems) and upon curing will result in a light, cream coloured film. The technology owner is seeking for R&D collaborations and IP licensing opportunities with Singapore partners to manufacture/utilise the technology in packaging and non-structural applications. The technology is a soy-based, hot melt PSA that enables excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates. Some features of the technology include: Does not contain water or solvent Comparable adhesive performance to petroleum-based PSAs Net negative CO2 emissions - 0.79kg CO2 sequestered per 1 kg manufactured Costs 20% less than competing petroleum-based PSAs Home compostable (ASTM 6400/EN 13432) and industrial compostable (ASTM 5511) Applied using standard application techniques such as slot die and gravure systems Can be UV or thermal cured Can be designed to be removable or permanent for labels and tapes Potential applications include (but are not limited to): Packaging such as flexible and paper-based Tapes Labels Protective films Commercial applications that require compostable, bio-based alternatives to acrylic The pressure sensitive adhesives market is projected to grow from USD 13.2 billion in 2022 to USD 16.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 5.1% between 2022 and 2027. With this technology, companies will be able to move away from fossil-based PSAs and achieve their environmental, social and governance goals to combat climate change. Use of renewable, bio-based raw materials that is compostable Cost-effective solution that meets the performance of conventional PSAs Helps corporations meet sustainability objectives by reducing carbon footprint The technology owner is seeking for R&D collaborations and IP licensing opportunities with Singapore partners to manufacture/utilise the technology in packaging and non-structural applications. adhesive, packaging, compostable, bio-based, environmentally friendly, sustainable, pressure sensitive, soy, bonding, tape, label, eco-friendly, films, paper, plastic packaging, circular economy, reduced carbon emissions Manufacturing, Chemical Processes, Chemicals, Organic, Bio-based, Sustainability, Circular Economy
Low-Cost and Flexible Water-Activated Primary Batteries
Recently, the rising adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and portable electronics has made electronic waste (e-waste) pollution worse, especially when small and low-power IoT devices are single-use only. As such, low-cost and environmentally friendly power sources are in high demand. The technology owner has developed an eco-friendly liquid-activated primary battery for single-use and disposable electronic devices. The battery can be activated by any aqueous liquid and is highly customisable to specific requirements (i.e., shape, size, voltage, power) of each application. This thin and flexible battery can be easily integrated into IoT devices, smart sensors, and medical devices, providing a sustainable energy solution for low-power and single-use applications. The technology owner is keen to do R&D collaboration and IP licensing to industrial partners who intend to use liquid-activated batteries to power the devices. The technology is a single-use and non-rechargeable battery that can be instantly activated by any aqueous liquid (e.g., water, fruit juice, soft drink, etc.) as well as all types of body fluids (e.g., blood, saliva, urine, sweat, bile, etc.). The features of this technology are: Customisable shape, size, and power (1.5 to 6.0 V at 4 to 50 mW) Ultra-thin and flexible (<1 mm in thickness) Lightweight (when dry) High energy density (less than 5 mm2 for low-power application: 1.5 V, 2 mAh) Indefinite pre-activation shelf-life (no self-discharge) Non-toxic and biocompatible (safe for human beings) Environmentally friendly (no disposal pollution) This inherently safe and non-toxic battery can be widely applied in MedTech applications, disposable IoT, smart sensors, and low-power electronics. The potential applications include but are not limited to: Medical devices: digital pills, ingestible sensors, smart bandages, wearable biosensors, in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs), body fluid testing, etc. Disposable IoT: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chips, microprocessors, wireless sensors (pH, temperature, humidity), micromotors, LEDs, heaters, etc. Other low-power electronics: smart labels, electronic skin patches, cold chain monitoring, smart packaging, etc. The technology offers the following unique features: Highly customisable for different applications Thin and flexible (adaptable to various designs) Long shelf-life (can be sealed for a very long time) Biocompatible (can be safely consumed) Environmentally friendly and non-toxic The technology owner is keen to do R&D collaboration and IP licensing to industrial partners who intend to use liquid-activated batteries to power the devices.  Primary Battery, Environmentally Friendly, Non-Toxic, MedTech, Disposable IoT Energy, Battery & SuperCapacitor, Healthcare, Medical Devices, Infocomm, Internet of Things
Transdermal Photothermal Therapy for Obesity, Metabolic Diseases, and Body Sculpting
Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity, all FDA-approved medications, which act indirectly on the central nervous system to suppress appetite or on the gastrointestinal tract to inhibit fat absorption, suffer from poor effectiveness and side effects. Most of these medications have been withdrawn from the market. Although liposuction performed in clinics can effectively remove targeted subcutaneous fat, it suffers from invasiveness, high costs, associated risks, induction of compensatory increase of visceral fat. Although thermal lipolysis induced by high-power laser energy is a non-invasive way to reduce subcutaneous fat, its effectiveness is limited and it often causes skin burning. Both liposuction and laser lipolysis cannot improve whole-body metabolism. The technology owner has developed a transdermal mild photothermal therapy directly acting on the root of evil, i.e. subcutaneous fat, to induce its ameliorating remodelling (browning, lipolysis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis), based on the injectable hydrogel encapsulated with photothermal agent. Browning refers to the conversion of energy-storage white fats into energy-burning brown fats. Further, combining with pharmaceutical therapy by codelivery of pharmacological agent leads to a strong therapeutic synergy. This method not only ensures high effectiveness and low side effects due to localized and targeted application but also remotely creates significant improvements in whole-body metabolism (e.g., reduction of visceral fat, relief of diabetic symptoms). In addition, this technology is applicable for cosmetic purposes, e.g., body contouring and reduction of double chin. The technology owner is seeking potential biotechnology companies, clinicians, and other partners to clinically translate and commercialize this technology. Possible modes of collaboration include R&D, process, and product development. Photothermal agents and pharmacological agents are encapsulated in biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel which retains the therapeutics to ensure sustained effects. After being injected into subcutaneous fat depots (e.g., belly fat) using an insulin needle or an automated injection device with minimal pain, NIR irradiation at each injection site will be applied for only five minutes using a portable laser source, one to three times a day for several days without the need of another injection. This described procedure (injection + laser treatment) can be applied once or several times. Obvious mass reduction of the treated fat and other beneficial effects on the whole-body should be resulted. In contrast to laser lipolysis, this procedure shall be much more effective, pain free without causing skin burning, and profoundly beneficial. It can be conducted in clinics by professionals or be self-administered at home for long-term care. The primary application area of our technology is for treating obesity and associated metabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes). This technology can also be used for non-therapeutic or cosmetic purposes, including contouring, sculpting, or slimming one or more regions of the subject’s body for a desirable appearance. To be specific, this technology can locally remove stubborn fat below the chin, or in thigh, abdomen, thorax, flank, upper limb, upper body, lower limb, back, etc.   As highlighted by Mordor Intelligence, the anti-obesity drugs market was valued at about US$ 1,690 million in 2020, and it is expected to reach US$ 4,250 million in 2026, registering a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 15% over the forecast period, 2021-2026. And according to IMARC Group, the global body contouring market reached a value of US$ 7.3 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach US$ 11.1 billion by 2027, exhibiting at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2022-2027. This technology provides an unprecedented solution with high effectiveness and low risks. Non-invasive targeted treatment on subcutaneous fat Drastic reduction of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat Relief of obesity-associated metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes) Low risks and low side-effects High effectiveness Self-administrable Obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases, Transdermal Therapy, Personal Care, Slimming Healthcare, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals & Therapeutics
Non-invasive Blood Glucose Evaluation And Monitoring (BGEM) Technology For Diabetic Risk Assessment
The latest Singapore National Population Health Survey has reported a concerning diabetes trend. From 2019-2020, 9.5% of the adults had diabetes, slightly dropping to 8.5% from 2021-2022. About 1 in 12 (8.5%) of residents aged 18 to 74 were diagnosed, with an age-standardised prevalence of 6.8% after accounting for population ageing. Among the diabetes patients, close to 1 in every 5 (18.8%) had undiagnosed diabetes, and 61.3% did not meet glucose control targets. Prediabetes is also prevalent, with 35% progressing to type 2 diabetes within eight years without lifestyle changes. Untreated Type 2 diabetes can lead to severe health issues. Tackling this challenge requires a holistic approach, focusing on awareness, early diagnosis, and lifestyle adjustments for diabetes and prediabetes. Recognising the need for innovation to address this, the technology owner develops a cost-effective and non-invasive AI-powered solution, Blood Glucose Evaluation And Monitoring (BGEM), that detects glucose dysregulation in individuals to monitor and evaluate diabetic risks. BGEM allows users to track their blood glucose levels regularly, identify any adverse trends and patterns, and adopt early intervention and lifestyle changes to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Clinically validated in 2022, with a research paper published in October 2023, the technology is open for licensing to senior care/home care providers, telehealth platforms, health wearables companies, and more. The BGEM technology is an end-to-end managed AI platform that leverages Photoplethysmography (PPG) enabled wearable sensors to monitor various heart rate variability (HRV) features associated with blood glucose fluctuation. The solution comprises the following features: Optimised and validated AI algorithm Mobile Demo App Including UI/UX design guideline User-friendly visualisations SaaS Scalability Security API Integration The BGEM technology offers a cost-effective, non-invasive approach to predicting an individual's diabetes risk. The applications include: Population Health Perspective: The technology leverages the high growth rate of smart wearables and hearables, presenting an opportunity to identify undiagnosed diabetes individuals within the population. Preventive Health Monitoring: With the ability to monitor blood glucose changes regularly at minimal cost, the technology empowers high-risk users to adopt a healthier lifestyle and, therefore, prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. Diabetes around the world in 2021: 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes, 1 in 10. This number is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. Over 3 in 4 adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. Diabetes is responsible for 6.7 million deaths in 2021 - 1 every 5 seconds. Diabetes caused at least USD 966 billion dollars in health expenditure – a 316% increase over the last 15 years. 541 million adults have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which places them at high risk of type 2 diabetes. Overview of the wearable technology market: The market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12.5% between 2023 to 2030. Estimated to be worth USD 55.5 billion in 2022, with a projected revenue of USD 142.4 billion by 2030. Current blood glucose monitoring technologies either require finger pricking for blood extraction or the insertion of sensors into the skin and discomfort through wearing patches for extended periods. Instead, the technology uses external sensors and algorithms to detect and predict diabetes risk. No object needs to be inserted into the user's body or continuously worn throughout the day, resulting in minimal pain and discomfort. Additionally, the only equipment required for testing is the wearable device. No additional disposable equipment needles or test strips are needed, which makes blood glucose monitoring much more convenient and cost-effective than other "State-of-the-Art" solutions. The Unique Value Proposition of BGEM include: Market-ready: It is a market-ready non-invasive diabetes risk detection and prediction AI solution that leverages consumer-grade wearables to detect blood glucose dysregulation. Performance: Demonstrates outstanding prediction and detection capabilities. Cloud-based: Operates on a cloud-based platform for seamless integration. Third-party compatibility: Easily implemented with third-party devices and apps. Sustainability: Reduction in bio-medical waste such as needles, test strips etc User-friendly: Non-invasive, convenient and allows frequent measurement. Non-invasive measurement, blood glucose, diabetes mellitus, preventive healthcare, AI, ML, Wearables, PPG, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Diabetes Monitoring, Diabetes Evaluation, Non-Invasive Diabetes Monitoring, Diabetic Risk Assessment Infocomm, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, Diagnostics
Optimisation of Aquatic Feed with Underutilized Okara
In Singapore, more than 30,000kg of okara are generated from soya milk and tofu production. Due to the high amount of insoluble dietary fiber and a unique, poignant smell of okara, it is often discarded as a waste product. Despite okara's low palatability, it is rich in nutrients. Therefore, the technology owner has developed a cost-effective formulation to include okara in feed for abalone. The formulation can potentially be adapted and customised for other aquatic species. The technology owner is seeking potential partners to license and commercialise the technology. The technology allows for an alternative nutrient source for animal feed allowing for the sustainability of food supply and reduction of food waste. The formulation consists of a cost-effective plant-based functional ingredient, lowering the costs of feed for aquaculture farms. The nutritional composition can be tailored for different species to increase growth rates and survivability. Okara is used as a cost-effective feed for high-value abalone, a commonly cultured species of mollusc. Okara-based feed results in the beautiful purple colouration of the shell and increased growth and survivability of abalone. In comparison, the okara-based feed costs ~30% less than commercial feed used in the industry. There is potential for okara to be included in feed for other aquatic species such as shrimp and fish. The success of this method will valorise okara, transferring them into a nutrient-dense aquatic feed while promoting a more environmentally sustainable food production chain.       okara, aquatic feed Foods, Ingredients
Phytonutrient-based Remedial Fluid for the Management of Hypertrophic and Keloid Scars
After a skin injury or surgery, a scar may form as the wound heals. In this body's repair mechanism, the myofibroblast cells produce new collagens and they form an extracellular matrix (ECM) to repair a wound. Over time, most scars become flat and pale. However, in some abnormal cases, the body produces excessive collagens. The excessive ECM formation and deposition of these scar tissue will result in raised scars such as hypertrophic scar and keloid scar. These raised scars may leave lifelong marks on the skin. Although the raised scars are not dangerous or life-threatening, they create aesthetic concern, restrict physical movement and may also lead to itching, tenderness, pain or even depression and anxiety. The currently available scar removal products such as silicon patches and topical products may cause skin irritation, which has led researchers to look for safer and more effective solutions. The present technology is a series of phytonutrient-based remedial fluids, which can be used as a general topical agent or complemented with a nano sprayer for the management of raised scars. The product developed from this technology is a safe, non-invasive and convenient approach to suppress hypertrophic and keloid scars. The technology provider is looking for collaboration opportunities to co-develop skincare products incorporated with this series of plant-based remedial fluids for scar management, collaborators for conducting clinical studies to evaluate effects of the current prototypes as well as other partnership mode including IP licensing.  Hypertrophic and keloid scars are two different fibroproliferative disorders of the dermal tissue upon skin injury. The activation and local proliferation of myofibroblasts in the dermal layer is considered prerequisite for excessive ECM formation, including the overproduction of collagens for filling up the wounds. The phytonutrient-based remedial fluids consist of small-molecule flavanol glycosides extracted from ferns. Experimental results showed that these plant-based fluids could significantly suppress the activation and proliferation of skin myofibroblasts in patients with hypertrophic scars or keloids. These small molecules could also largely reduce the deposition of ECM. As a result, the formation of raised scar can be prevented. The prototypes of the phytonutrient-based remedial fluids have been developed and are currently undergoing product testing. They are designed to reduce raised scars and improve skin conditions. Over 50 volunteers with various types of scars and different skin conditions have tried the prototypes in the initial trial. Overall, positive feedback were received, including notable improvement in scar appearance, alleviation of itchy feeling and prevention of excessive scar tissues. This phytonutrient-based formulation can be used in scar treatment in the form of skincare products such as a general topical agent or nano-mist. They could help shrink, soften and flatten the raised scars, especially for hypertrophic scars and keloids. In addition, this technology can also be used for therapeutic purposes, such as inhibiting the development of fibrosis.  Since many scar treatment gel sheets or creams contain silicone, this natural, non-toxic product provides another option for the people who are allergic to silicone. Customers can be benefited from these herbal-based products with their non-irritating, refreshing texture. Personal Care, Cosmetics & Hair, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Therapeutics
Sub-Skin and Gut Microbiome Health Analysis by Smartphone App
Conventional diagnostic imaging of the skin involves the use of dermatoscopes. Dermatoscopes use skin surface microscopy to examine dermal and sub-dermal tissues to diagnose skin problems. However, these devices can be costly and provide a limited view of the immediate skin surface. This limitation meant that dermatoscopes have to be used in direct contact with the patient's skin. Because of this, they can only be used to image patients in the same physical location as the clinician conducting the examination. The overall result is that only a tiny portion of the global dermatology patient-base can be reached cost-effectively and efficiently. Telemedicine and telehealth network operations are rapidly developing ways to address patients broadly and at lower costs for them and their care providers. Yet, such tools neither deliver desmatoscope-like functionality nor improved it in way that it allows patients' skins to be examined and analysed during an online medical consultation with a general practitioner. In order to facilitate remote skin disease diagnosis, the use of software is required to acquire and share images in real-time and ideally, by the patients themselves. This software enables patients to take their medical sub-skin images with their mobile, tablet or laptop cameras, and securely share it with doctors. Crucially, dermatoscopy images can also be used with the technology to improve diagnostic accuracy. This technology is intended to position itself as a technology which when scaled-up, could allow for products that can enable optical biopsy and phototherapy.  The technology, Remote Diagnostic Imaging (RDI) is available in two modes: Real-Time (RT) and Store-and-Forward (SAF): RT provides remote real-time examination of the patient’s sub-skin by a clinician. SAF enables the patient to snap and forward the sub-skin images to the clinician for assessment. A non-clinician staff member at a clinic can also help the patient to take the images and forward them to a skin specialist. This remote imaging diagnostics is intended to facilitate time and cost savings for both doctors and patients.  The RDI service consists of proprietary software that works with any smart camera device such as mobile, tablet or laptop cameras. An individual at any remote location could take photographs of suspicious skin lesions, and then forward it to the doctor. While the functionality is similar to most image-sharing software, what sets the software apart from other algorithms is the presence of a sophisticated algorithm that acquires sub-skin features of the skin (in normal light) thereby noticing skin issues prior to manifestation on the skin surface. Cosmetic and Medical Dermatology - With 3rd party software, this skin imaging software platform has the potential to facilitate more accurate diagnosis and management of a range of skin diseases, such as psoriasis, acne, vitiligo and dermatitis, to more serious and potentially fatal conditions of melanoma. Optical Biopsy - Completing initial tissue analysis in a few minutes. Phototherapy - Producing the skin and tissue pectral data needed to deliver the correct type and dosage of opticat radiation. Podiatry (diabetes) – Diabetic patients can suffer from numbness in their feet, potentially leading to foot infections which if left untreated may necessitate amputation. The RDI and proposed multispectral imaging solutions can help podiatrists gain advance notice and clarity of potential issues. The key benefit being a better patient outcome.  X-ray (radiology) – X-ray radiation continues to be a major cause for health concern despite its significant benefit in patient diagnostics. It is also not known for being able to render soft tissue visual detail in the way that MRI and ultrasound does. Both RDI service and multispectral imaging embedded technology enable the use of pre-existing X-ray images to be used to acquire visualisation of more detail. The key benefit is reduced radiation dosage which results in less risk to the health of the patient.  In the near future, it is expected that an absorbed multispectral-based imaging app or device as well as the embeddable diagnostic platform will become an integral part of a smart diagnostics platform for remote clinical diagnosis. Dermatology clinics and hospitals can use these solutions for the remote diagnosis of any type of skin disease, track the progress of a patient condition after treatment, and better engage patients in the treatment process by empowering them to take proper preemptive care of their skin health. The technology is available as an embeddable algorithm, and as a secured cloud-based service that can be embedded to a website. The embeddable version of the technology is available in a licence or co-creation form. It can be embedded in OEM devices, equipment and machines. Some of the advantages of this innovative technology are as follows: Skincare consumers and patients can self-analyse and monitor their skin's health from the comfort and privacy of their home, while having their skin analysed visually. Information can be shared in real time with their skin specialist Provides an ability to visually 'see' the skin as light sees it and interacts with it on the surface and beneath opens up new diagnosis and treatment opportunities Synergenic tool for integration into the rapidly expanding telehealth platforms out in the market Potential to enable diagnosis of skin conditions as well as setup of pre-signal detection to alert potential skin conditions before they are visibly present. Enable storing of historical sub-skin imaging data through the SAF feature, this allows for image analysis overtime. melanoma, skin, imaging, diagnostic, analysis, microbe, microorganism, bacteria, virus, spectroscopy, smartphone, non-invasive, health, telemedicine, telehealth, dermatology, oncology, phototherapy, photoanalysis, radiology, biopsy, subskin, subsurface, embeddable, camera, microbiome, dermoscopy, cosmetic, optical Infocomm, Video/Image Analysis & Computer Vision, Personal Care, Cosmetics & Hair, Healthcare, Medical Devices, Healthcare ICT
Real Time, All-day, Stress Monitoring System Using Data Science
There are 30,000 occupational drivers in Singapore, out of which 13,500 are 45 years old and above. The risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease increases with age and is potentially exacerbated by low physical activity and high emotional stress levels, which are two typical characteristics of occupational drivers arising from their work environment. Low level of physical activity and high stress levels have been shown to have significant relationship with heart rate variability, one of the indicators of cardiovascular disease. This technology is developed to help drivers to monitor their stress level, provide them with instantaneous feedback and the necessary alerts for a timely intervention. This technology offer presents a cross-platform AI system that estimates the stress levels continuously in real time, and can be easily integrated with commercially available photoplethysmography (PPG) wearables, e.g., a PPG wristwatch. In addition, this technology can be adapted for the monitoring of workplace stress with the aim of improving overall mental well-being. The current practice of using electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the electrical activities of the heart is mainly found in the clinical settings and not easily accessible by the general population due to high costs. The need for an accurate placement of ECG electrodes does not allow the continuous monitoring of the heart condition in a non-clinical setting. It is not easy for individuals to continuously monitor their stress levels at the workplace in daily life, especially for drivers. This technology offer enables continuous, real-time monitoring and is not limited to clinical settings. It is cost-effective without the need to purchase medical grade ECG devices. The solution can be easily customised and adapted to existing and future PPG wearables. It is portable and feasible for all-day monitoring of stress levels and heart conditions in diverse workplace environments. Essentially, it is an algorithm that extracts proprietary features to predict stress levels, with an unique approach, from heart beat signals customised to a given context in the workplace. This facilitates the creation of contextualised stress profiles for specified workplace situations ranging from physical combat conditions to air-conditioned office sedentary conditions. The technology owner is interested to out-license this technology offer. Potential application areas are: Public or private hospitals, clinics, community care centers. Individual drivers and any workers who might be exposed to workplace related stress. Sports sectors including sports training, research and competition. Medical devices, equipment suppliers and manufacturers. Potential products: Existing or future wearables with PPG, e.g., wristwatch, headset, t-shirt, etc. Hardware and platform independent, easy to be incorporated into existing and future wearables. Portable and feasible for 24/7 stress monitoring. Affordable and cost-saving without the need to purchase medical grade ECG devices Real-time monitoring and timely feedback customised for users stress monitoring, ai algorithm, ai system, heart monitoring, workplace stress, wearable technology Infocomm, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Wireless Technology, Sustainability, Sustainable Living
Improving Explainable Artificial Intelligence For Degraded Images
One use of AI, including deep learning, is in prediction tasks, such as image scene understanding and medical image diagnosis. As deep learning models are complex, heatmaps are often used to help explain the AI’s prediction by highlighting pixels that were salient to the prediction. While existing heatmaps are effective on clean images, real-world images are frequently degraded or ‘biased’-such as camera blur or colour distortion under low light. Images may also be deliberately blurred for privacy reasons. As the level of image clarity decreases, the performance of the heatmaps decreases. These heatmap explanations of degraded images therefore deviate from both reality and user expectations.  This novel technology-Debiased-CAM-describes a method of training a convolutional neural network (CNN) to produce accurate and relatable heatmaps for degraded images. By pinpointing relevant targets on the images that align with user expectations, Debiased-CAMs increase transparency and user trust in the AI’s predictions. Debiased-CAMs are effective in helping users identify relevant targets even on images affected by different clarity levels and multiple issues such as camera blur, poor lighting conditions and colour distortion. The AI’s prediction also becomes more accurate. As the model is trained using self-supervised learning, no additional data is needed to train it.  The training for Debiased-CAM is generalisable, and thus applicable to other types of degraded or corrupted data and other prediction tasks such as image captioning and human activity recognition. Used to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) to produce accurate and relatable heatmaps for degraded images. By pinpointing relevant targets on the images that align with user expectations, Debiased-CAMs increase transparency and user trust in the AI’s predictions. It also increases the ability of meeting regulatory standards to deploy CNN models in the following applications, where explainable AI is required. Healthcare, eg. Radiology Autonomous Vehicles   Produces accurate, robust and interpretable heatmaps for degraded images Works on images with multiple degradation levels and types such as blurring and improper white balance Agnostic to degradation level, so that enhancement can be applied even when the level is unknown Perceived by users to be more truthful and helpful as compared to current heatmaps distorted due to image degradation Method of training can be applied to other degradation types and prediction tasks Explainable AI Infocomm, Video/Image Analysis & Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence
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