AIRS Medical bags $20M to take more global markets

Korean medical AI company AIRS Medical has raked in $20 million in a Series C funding round led by BSK Investment and Shinyoung Securities. 

Based on a press statement, the company will use its fresh funds to continue its global expansion and invest in R&D. 

Last year, AIRS Medical launched its flagship product, SwiftMR, in the United States and European markets. First introduced in South Korea in 2021, the technology enhances MRI scanning by up to 50% using deep learning. 

Hong Kong project to develop AI mental health companion robots 

A project in Hong Kong has received government backing to enable AI-driven social support, helping citizens better self-manage their mental well-being.

The Research Grants Council, a non-statutory advisory body which advises the Hong Kong government on the research and research funding needs of Hong Kong's universities, awarded HK$40.89 million ($5.2 million) to the research project led by Johan Hoorn, professor of the School of Design and Department of Computing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

According to a press release, it will build at-home humanoids with embedded large language models to provide personalised mental health support to the city's mentally underserved population. On-screen mental health assistant avatars for mobile applications will also be developed.

The project will also build a software architecture, as well as training protocols, logic-symbolic AI and design guidelines, that will inform a communication model for predicting and recognising signs of stress or low mood and providing empathetic dialogue and information on how and where to seek professional help.  

Additionally, an online developers' platform for creating robots and avatars for healthcare will also be created. 

MediSim VR opens training lab in Chennai

MediSim VR, a provider of healthcare virtual reality-based training solutions in India, has partnered with Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research to establish a VR training laboratory.

Claimed to be the first in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, the VR training facility offers access to immersive training for medical students. 

This follows the recent launch of a VR-based nursing training facility at Kusum Dhirajlal Hospital in Gujarat, which was also said to be the first in India.

SoftBank announces JV with Tempus AI

Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group has entered into a deal with NASDAQ-listed Tempus AI to establish a precision medicine joint venture in Japan. 

Based on a media release, the JV named SB TEMPUS will gradually offer precision medicine services in Japan, including genetic testing, medical data collection and analysis, and AI-driven treatment proposals. It will leverage Tempus' database of de-identified molecular, clinical and imaging data, which is said to be one of the largest in the industry. 

The transaction is expected to close this month, following which each company will invest 15 billion yen ($95 million) in the JV.