Real Time Vein Detection and Mapping using Near Infra-Red Lights

Correct identification of veins for the purpose of injection can be difficult for drug-delivery physicians, especially in the cases of obese, elderly, dark skin-toned patients. If an injection is wrongly placed, it causes severe pain and leads to swelling. In some cases, it can also lead to nerve damage. Similarly, due to the rising incidence of chronic diseases, sweeping medical costs, and glass and polymer technology that ensures safety, self-administered injectables have been on the rise. The rise of self-administered injectables has resulted in the need for a safe way to let people who are not medical professionals handle injections. To tackle this problem, the proposed research in the paper applies the image processing principles of image denoising, enhancement and feature extraction to detect and map veins from an image taken by illuminating the required area of the hand by near-infrared (NIR) light. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to create an economically viable portable device to detect veins and provide the user with an ideal place for injection or ejection of blood. This will aid the 31.7 million people who have diabetes in India, a number which is projected to increase by 30 percent by the year 2030. Thus, without even considering the medical professionals who will use the product for improved patient care, the impact of the project is significant.