AI-driven smart devices to transform health care

AI-powered, internet-connected medical devices have the potential to revolutionize health care by enabling early disease detection, real-time patient monitoring, and personalized treatments, a new study suggests.

They are already saving lives. Wearable devices can detect cardiac issues early, triggering emergency responses and preventing complications.

“The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), powered by AI, connects medical devices for real-time monitoring and analysis—anything from a smartwatch to hospital monitors. For example, a wearable heart monitor can detect irregular rhythms and send alerts instantly,” said Professor of Data Science Amir Gandomi, from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

“This study provides a comprehensive roadmap for integrating IoMT into health care, showing its potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs, while addressing key challenges like security and the ability to operate with other systems.

“For patients, it means better health management and fewer hospital visits. For families, it offers peace of mind, especially for seniors or those with chronic conditions. IoMT is making health care smarter, safer, and more responsive,” he said.

While Gandomi’s research covers a wide range of real-world engineering problems, he has a particular focus on the use of AI and data analytics to improve health care, including pandemic response and detection of diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

The study, “Transformative impacts of the internet of medical things on modern health care,” was led by Associate Professor Shams Forruque Ahmed from Sunway University in Malaysia, together with Professor Gandomi and an international research team, and published in the journal Results in Engineering.

“Our research highlights IoMT’s potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital strain, and reduce costs, making it essential for future health care systems,” said Professor Gandomi.

It explores IoMT’s full impact on health care—its benefits, challenges, and real-world applications, and highlights breakthrough results, such as AI-powered IoMT achieving 99.84% accuracy in heart disease diagnosis from medical imaging, and real-time seizure detection.

The study also examines the challenges of integrating AI-powered IoMT technology into health care systems, including the need for strong data security, device compatibility, and better regulations to ensure patient trust and safety.

“For health care providers, investing in IoMT means upgrading digital infrastructure, training staff, and adopting remote monitoring for proactive care. IoMT also requires clear regulations and standards to ensure security and patient privacy,” said Associate Professor Ahmed.

This study is relevant to patients, health care professionals, policymakers, and MedTech innovators, anyone interested in improving health care access, accuracy, and efficiency using AI and connected technologies.