Towa Hi and Hitachi working on voice-operated dental EMR system

Towa Hi System and Hitachi are jointly working on the development of an electronic medical record (EMR) system for dental clinics that supports voice recognition. Towa Hi System develops, sells, and supports dental electronic medical record integrated systems.

The ongoing project will link Towa Hi System’s electronic medical record system for dental clinics with Hitachi’s AI voice recognition technology.

Instead of requiring dentists to remove their gloves when inputting electronic medical records on terminals during patient treatment, the system will make it possible to skip the cumbersome routine by allowing them to input medical records by voice.

By integrating the electronic medical record for dental clinics with Hitachi’s AI-based voice chart input and screen operation represents the first system to realize DX (digital transformation) for in-hospital operations, said the companies.

The two companies will also promote joint development and improve the accuracy of speech recognition by developing a terminology model that has machine learned a dictionary of dental medical terms.

A prototype of the system was unveiled during the Japan Dental Show and there will be other demonstration experiments in the market as the companies work towards commercialization in the fall of 2022.

The project uses Hitachi’s AI voice recognition technology to recognize and convert medical results and utterances into texts and linking them with Towa Hi System’s “Hi Dental Spirit XR-10i”, an integrated dental electronic medical record system.

Hitachi will work with Towa Hi System to commercialize the product by making use of the knowledge gained through accumulated on-site demonstrations at dental clinics.

The product is being developed as a cloud service that can safely analyze and utilize on-site data from dental clinics and promote collaboration with Hitachi’s Lumada digital ecosystem. Lumada is Hitachi’s advanced digital technology that is developed to create value from customer data and accelerate digital innovation.

Towa Hi System specializes in R&D, sales, and support for electronic medical record systems for dental clinics.

Hitachi is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, known for its wide range of products and services covering many major sectors, including: Information & Telecommunication systems, Social infrastructure, Automotive Systems & Equipment, Digital Media and Financial Services, among others.