Researchers at the DigiHealth Lab at the University of California, San Diego, used a Google Pixel 4 phone to study Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers say that our eyes are one of the important indicators for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, especially the pupils of the eyes. People with mild cognitive impairment will have more pupil dilation when they complete cognitive tests. However, those with mild cognitive impairment will have more pupil dilation. Cognitive impairment is considered to be the precursor stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
Using this principle, the researchers used a Pixel 4 phone to track small changes in a person’s pupil size. This is to determine whether subjects had mild cognitive impairment. This is because the Google Pixel 4 supports 3D face recognition and its infrared camera can do the job.
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Although the iPhone supports 3D face recognition and widely uses infrared cameras, the iOS ecosystem is closed. This means that third-party applications cannot call infrared cameras. Thus, the Google Pixel 4 is currently the only smartphone that can be used for this research.
The Pixel 4 is a 2019 smartphone and like other Pixel devices, its cameras are top-notch. It is for this reason that the scientists decided to use this device for the research. However, there is no mention if the devices actually hit the expected results.
Google Pixel 4 faces legal action
Nearly two years after its launch, the Pixel 4 has to face legal action over an advertising video. The case claims that Google had to use “false propaganda”. Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton sued Google for allegedly falsely promoting the Pixel 4. According to reports, Google ran a Pixel 4 ad on a radio station from October 28, 2019, to December 2, 2019.
In this ad, Google invited 8 users to share their experience with the Pixel 4. However, these 8 users did not actually experience the Pixel 4 smartphone. This means that the company had to lie in the ad. If Google loses the case, the company will pay a fine of no more than $10,000.
