Image of Ion endoluminal system, from Intuitive Press Resources

“Game-Changing” Robot For Early Lung Cancer Detection Now Operational

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• New robotic tool promises quicker and more precise biopsies
• Builds on identifying over 600 early-stage lung cancer cases
• The system allows precise sampling from hard-to-reach lung areas

NHS Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester has announced on Tuesday that it will introduce the Ion Endoluminal System. This new robotic tool is designed to improve early detection of lung cancer. It is expected to cut the time needed for diagnosis and treatment by several months.

The announcement states that the Ion Endoluminal System builds on the success of Wythenshawe’s Greater Manchester Lung Health Check programme, which has identified over 600 cases of lung cancer at early, treatable stages.

Diagnosing lung cancer and initiating treatment can be challenging because traditional biopsy methods often struggle to access small lung nodules, as noted in the announcement.

As a result, patients with suspected lung cancer may endure months of “watchful waiting,” during which nodules are monitored through scans until they are sufficiently large for biopsy.

The new Ion system addresses this issue with a thin robotic catheter that enables doctors to reach even the deepest and most difficult areas of the lungs with precision.

This system has already been used to perform biopsies on initial patients with suspected lung cancer, as reported on the announcement.

Dr. Haval Balata, Respiratory Physician and Clinical Lead for the Ion service at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, noted that this new technology could significantly improve patient care.

With the Ion system, patients may receive a diagnosis and start treatment or be cleared of cancer months earlier than with previous methods.

Dr. Haval Balata notes on the announcement, “Having this new innovative technology available for our patients to access is game changing.’’

Dr. Balata added, “ [The Ion system] allows us to offer patients the best possible treatments sooner rather than later, when treatment is much more likely to be successful.’’

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK. Patients diagnosed at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years compared to those diagnosed at a later stage, report the announcement.

Each year, approximately 48,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer, and around 35,000 people die from the disease in the UK, as stated in the annoucement.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Snap Announces Major Changes to Snapchat and New AR Glasses

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

The tech company Snap announced a major redesign on its social media platform Snapchat, a new generation of its AR glasses Spectacles, a brand-new operating system, and new AI features during the Snap Partner Summit this Tuesday.

One of the major changes the company is making in the popular social media network is integrating multiple features and simplifying the home design.

“We’re now testing a new and simplified Snapchat that organizes the app around communicating with friends, using the camera, and watching Snaps from friends and the broader Snapchat community, including creators and publishers,” wrote the company in its press release .

The home screen design went from five tabs to three, and will show a “Simple Snapchat”, that opens to the camera, and has chats to the left, and both features, Spotlight and Stories, integrated to the right.

According to TechCrunch , this could help adoption from older generations who complained about difficulties in navigating the platform. The new redesign has begun to roll out in certain countries and to small groups of users.

Snap also introduced the fifth generation of Spectacles, powered by the company’s new operating system Snap OS, a 226 gram device equipped with four cameras and dual system-on-a-chip architecture.

“Spectacles also tint automatically based on your environment’s lighting so visuals are vibrant, indoors or outdoors – even in direct sunlight,” states the document shared by Snap with more details of the new technology.

LATEST: Snapchat $SNAP unveils new augmented reality glasses at the Snap Partner Summit 🕶️ pic.twitter.com/n0Qf0EALfc — WizCase News (@WizCaseNews) September 18, 2024

“For the first time in human history, we have made transition lenses cool,” joked Evan Spiegel, Snap CEO at the Snap Partner Summit, explaining the new tint function. The new devices have been developed in partnership with Qualcomm—which recently partnered with Samsung and Google to build smart glasses.

Snapchat will now include new AI features like Easy Lens to create new lenses for AR experiences within minutes, by just typing prompts, and new animations for creators in the Animation Library, as well as more opportunities to be discovered by new users in the platform through new Lenses.

The social media company expects to attract more creators and a larger audience with the new products and services.