Smart pen accurately detects people with Parkinson's disease

This smart pen is capable of distinguishing between people with Parkinson's disease and those without the disease with an average accuracy of up to 96.22%.

A Parkinson's patient tests a smart pen developed by UCLA scientists - Photo: Nature Chemical Engineering

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US have just announced a new diagnostic device that can completely change the way Parkinson's disease is detected - a neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide .

It is a smart pen with advanced technology, specially designed to detect early and accurate signs of this disease through handwriting.

According to research published in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering , this special device has a soft magnetic pen tip and ferrofluid ink - a special type of magnetic ink.

This construction allows the device to sensitively and quantitatively convert writing movements, not only on paper but also in the air, into highly accurate data signals for analysis for medical diagnosis.

These signals are then aggregated and processed through an artificial intelligence (AI) system using a convolutional neural network, which analyzes microscopic features in handwriting – features that may be difficult to see with the naked eye but are important early signs of Parkinson's disease.

A pilot study was conducted with the participation of Parkinson's patients and healthy people. Through this, the smart pen not only recorded handwritten data accurately, but also showed the ability to distinguish between people with the disease and those without the disease with an average accuracy of up to 96.22%.

The researchers stress that this is a low-cost, widely available device that would be particularly useful in areas with limited medical resources. This is significant, as Parkinson’s is a disease that has no cure, but can be better managed if detected early.

The main symptoms of Parkinson's - such as hand tremors, muscle stiffness, decreased movement or loss of mobility - often develop silently in the early stages and are easily overlooked.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/but-thong-minh-phat-hien-chinh-xac-nguoi-mac-benh-parkinson-20250608111304845.htm