Iris's AI throat camera returns a flu assessment in 10 seconds, replacing the nasal swab
Japanese startup Iris built Nodoca, a camera device whose AI reads pharynx images alongside medical-interview data and returns an influenza assessment in about 10 seconds, with no deep nasal swab. Japan approved it in 2022 as a new medical device under national health insurance, and it now runs at more than 2,000 institutions, with a Covid-19 function approved in October 2025. The barrier to entry is data — several million throat images, up from hundreds of thousands before launch — with no accuracy figures disclosed and US clinical trials still under consideration.
Source: wired.com ↗
The real differentiating factor lies in sensing—how the data is acquired. We developed our own hardware and ventured into the area of pharyngeal images, which no one had touched.
Why this matters
- → Replaces uncomfortable nasal swab with 10-second throat photo analysis.
- → AI trained on millions of images now deployed across 2,000+ Japanese clinics.
- → Extends beyond flu — exploring diabetes, hypertension detection via throat patterns.