Japanese AI Device Quickly Diagnoses Flu from Throat Images, Reducing Swab Discomfort

Iris, a Japanese firm founded by ex-emergency physician Sho Okuyama, introduced Nodoca, an AI system that evaluates throat photographs taken with a handheld camera to diagnose influenza within roughly ten seconds, eliminating the need for uncomfortable nasal swabs. After receiving Japan's first AI-enabled medical-device approval in 2022 and national health-insurance coverage, the tool spread to more than 2,000 medical sites and later added Covid-19 detection in October 2025.

Early on, the company gathered consented images from about a hundred institutions, building a training set that has since expanded to several million scans, continuously refining the algorithm. Beyond infectious diseases, Iris is testing whether the same visual data can reveal lifestyle-related illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. Okuyama envisions AI handling every stage of care, from virtual interviews to specialist referrals, and is lobbying for regulatory changes to support this vision, with plans to trial the technology in the United States.