A research team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has created software that allows patients with diabetes and other chronic foot ailments to track and monitor their skin conditions at home with just the use of a home computer and flatbed scanner. It is being offered to the public free of charge.
A screen shot of the software at work. Image courtesy of UCLA.
The software package, called BigFoot, can be downloaded and used by consumers and medical professionals in clinical settings. The flatbed scanner is used as an image-capture device. Patients place their feet directly on the surface of the scanner, then the software algorithms manage, analyze, and track the acquired foot-image data. The BigFoot software takes individuals through a step-by-step process to create detailed digital images of their feet and compare them against earlier images. Alternatively, the images can be e-mailed to their healthcare practitioner for professional monitoring or comment.
“We wanted to create something easy and intuitive to use and understand,” said Aydogan Ozcan, PhD, a UCLA associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering who led the team. “We feel this can be a great monitoring tool for patients suffering from diabetes and their doctors.”
The BigFoot software application is part of a study by Ozcan’s research group to gather and statistically analyze foot data. Images are automatically submitted to a server, and researchers initially plan to determine what users define as regions of concern. From the collected data, they will draw further conclusions on spatial, temporal, and geographical points of interest to facilitate better monitoring, tracking, and sharing of medically relevant feet images by patients and medical professionals.
