Design studios Map Project Office and Modem have developed a concept for a diagnostics kit backed by artificial intelligence that would allow patients to perform basic triage on themselves.

The Smart Aid Kit offers a vision for how generative artificial intelligence (AI) could help to provide universal healthcare with the help of four different sensors – modelled on a stethoscope, spirometer, ophthalmoscope and a skin scanner.

Map and Modem developed the concept to show how individuals and communities without ready access to healthcare might conduct tests that would usually be carried out by a nurse or GP.

"Many people, especially in underprivileged areas, lack basic healthcare services, highlighting the need for universal healthcare," Modem co-founder Bas van de Poel told Dezeen.

"Recent technological advancements, particularly in AI, present opportunities to address these disparities," he added. "AI-powered devices can aid in diagnosing and managing health conditions, especially where access to healthcare professionals is limited."

The Smart Aid Kit would make use of large language models (LLMs) – a type of AI capable of analysing vast amounts of data and using it to generate answers in response to users' questions.

Map and Modem noted in a research paper produced as part of the project that Google's AI-based Med-PaLM system is already being trialled in the United States to answer consumer health questions.

The team wanted to show how these technologies could be merged with purpose-built hardware to enable users to manage their healthcare independently.

They developed a range of robust, approachable and easy-to-use tools that can scan and evaluate various health conditions, enabling the kit to act as a virtual practitioner.

The information gathered by the sensor devices is relayed to a core unit containing the LLM, which can then diagnose conditions and provide instant feedback.

The studios envision the Smart Aid Kit being placed in public spaces much like an automated external defibrillator (AED).

A case equipped with solar panels for charging would contain the four sensors designed to evoke equipment currently used by medical practitioners, with simple forms dictated by their functions.

A stethoscope with a large white diaphragm would relay sound waves produced inside the body to the AI, which would measure and analyse temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation.

The spirometer would gather air and saliva droplets from the user's breath, allowing the LLM to perform microbiome analysis as well as nutrition and dietary assessments that could provide metabolic feedback and facilitate cancer screening.

An ophthalmoscope would be used to inspect the inside of the eye and its surface, which could help the AI to detect neurological disorders and auto-immune diseases as well as assess cardiovascular health.

The designers also developed a new tool for assessing skin health including hydration and pigmentation. This domed scanning device could be used to diagnose dermatological conditions, detect allergies and support the early detection of skin cancer.

The products' simple forms are designed to be familiar and intuitive to use. Visible colour bands that help to distinguish each tool nod to the primary colours currently found in the healthcare ecosystem.

"Together we wanted to showcase a series of simple objects that could perform well and are instinctive to use," said Map creative director Emilie Robinson.

"Although Smart Aid Kit is experimental, crafting the tools physically was important to understand how the designs would look and feel when used," she added.

"The resulting designs feel elevated, clean and trusted, all important for tools that might be used when assessing your healthcare."

The first-aid box itself would integrate a text-based user interface powered by the LLM.

Designed specifically for non-professionals, the UI would use both voice and text to provide simple instructions on how to use the various devices, along with friendly advice delivered in the style of a GP consultation.

Van de Pool hopes the conceptual project will serve as a springboard for discussions with brands and "inspire specialised companies to transform this vision into reality."

"Design has the power to transform healthcare accessibility and we hope to inspire companies who can have an impact here," Robinson added.

Dezeen's recent AItopia series explored AI's impact on design, architecture and humanity, including a comprehensive overview of the key terms in the field and why they matter.

As part of the series, designer Madeline Gannon talked about how anthropomorphised robots could be given human traits to make them more approachable while AI ethicist Alice Xiang voiced concerns about the potential for algorithmic biases to entrench existing societal inequalities.