Saving lives with AI

Southampton Science Park resident Xim has been selected from a field of over 530 applicants to receive a share of £50m government funding to advance its Lifelight technology.

The Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, announced Lifelight as one of the first winners of the AI in Health and Care Award, which aims to accelerate testing and implementation of new technologies for the NHS. The NHS is committed to becoming a world leader in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to achieve a range of benefits, from faster and more personalised diagnosis to potential efficiencies in screening services.

Lifelight allows completely contactless measurement of vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and oxygen saturations. It does so in just 40 seconds using a patient’s standard smartphone or tablet, with no additional hardware. The technology has the potential to enable safer, easier and more effective remote triage and monitoring. Lifelight’s funding was won to further develop the application for cardiovascular disease screening via contactless blood pressure readings.

"We are delighted and honoured to be selected for this prestigious award. We are proud of our UK heritage and excited to be part of this innovative programme – one which promises to accelerate the pace of AI adoption in healthcare. Lifelight not only addresses the critical need to regularly monitor vital signs it also gives clinicians the ability to do this remotely, safely and at scale, critical to Covid detection and management of long-term conditions. This is innovative use of AI, not just transforming but helping to save lives," noted Laurence Pearce, CEO and founder of xim.

Jane Holt, Business Development Director at Southampton Science Park, added: “xim arrived at the Science Park in 2015, having been selected to join our Catalyst business incubator programme. Over the last five years, it’s been wonderful to see Laurence’s ideas come to fruition, for the company’s transformative technology to gain the traction it deserves and to see xim secure the critical funding that will see it go from strength to strength.”

Learn more about Xim and other innovative technology companies that are located at Southampton Science Park.