India develops handheld brain injury scanners to avoid delays in treatment

New Delhi, Aug 24: Traumatic brain injuries are a significant public health challenge, particularly in rural areas and underserved populations where advanced diagnostic tools like CT or MRI scans are inaccessible or delayed. Now, India has developed a handheld portable brain injury scan machine that can be used to detect bleeding inside the brain.Speaking to ANI about the made-in-India handheld brain scan machine, Dr Rajeev Bahl, DG, ICMR, said, “This is a very new technology, which is completely Indian and was developed in an incubator at an IIT in India, supported by ICMR, including its clinical validation and further health technology assessment for cost-effectiveness. It is now available in the government E-market phase… This technology uses infrared waves. With a handheld device, you just need to place it on various parts of the head, and it shows whether there is bleeding inside the brain or not…”
Traditional methods, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), are prone to errors and subjective interpretations, while imaging techniques require specialised infrastructure, trained personnel and are cost-intensive. To address this issue, CEREBO, a portable, non-invasive brain injury diagnostic tool, has been developed using advanced near-infrared spectroscopy technology powered by machine learning.
Capable of detecting intracranial bleeding and edema within a minute, CEREBO provides colour-coded, radiation-free, and cost-effective results. Designed for deployment in ambulances, trauma centres, rural clinics, and disaster response units, it enhances early TBI detection and patient outcomes.
Developed through a collaboration between ICMR-MDMS, AIIMS Bhopal, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and Bioscan Research, CEREBO has undergone clinical validation, regulatory approvals, and feasibility studies, paving the way for global adoption in emergency and military healthcare systems.