Startup Eyebot aims to bring 21st-century innovation to vision care to make eye exams more accessible to people.

初创公司Eyebot旨在为视力保健带来21世纪的创新，使人们更容易接受眼科检查。

The company, founded in March 2021, develops kiosks, what the company called terminals, that perform automated, self-serve vision tests in as quickly as 90 seconds and can immediately provide prescriptions for corrective eyewear.

该公司成立于2021年3月，开发了信息亭，该公司称之为终端，可以在90秒内进行自动化的自助视力测试，并可以立即为矫正眼镜提供处方。

Matthias Hofmann, Ph.D., Eyebot founder and CEO, says it's the first 'push-button vision testing technology.' The technology delivers accurate eye prescriptions directly at the point-of-sale, eliminating the traditional barriers within the corrective eyewear industry and paving the way for an enhanced retail experience, he noted..

Eyebot创始人兼首席执行官马蒂亚斯·霍夫曼（MatthiasHofmann）博士说，这是第一种“按钮式视觉测试技术”他指出，该技术直接在销售点提供准确的眼部处方，消除了矫正眼镜行业的传统障碍，并为增强零售体验铺平了道路。。

Eyebot's automated eye exam terminal

眼动自动眼科检查终端

(Eyebot)

（Eyebot）

Eyebot secured $6 million in a seed funding round led by AlleyCorp and Ubiquity Ventures with participation from Humba Ventures, Susa Ventures, Village Global, Baukunst, Ravelin and Spacecadet.

Eyebot在AlleyCorp和Ubiquity Ventures领导的一轮种子融资中获得了600万美元，Humba Ventures、Susa Ventures、Village Global、Baukunst、Ravelin和Spacecade参与了这轮融资。

Eyebot will use the funding to boost product development, grow its team and accelerate its expansion initiatives, Hofmann said.

霍夫曼表示，Eyebot将利用这笔资金促进产品开发，壮大团队，加速扩张计划。

The company plans for a full launch in October with optical retail partners and will scale in 2025, he noted. 'We did a couple of soft launches that had a really good reception,' he said.

他指出，该公司计划在10月份与光学零售合作伙伴全面推出，并将在2025年扩大规模他说，我们进行了几次软启动，收到了很好的反响。

The company says it has completed clinical studies involving hundreds of patients and validated its self-serve modality in several U.S. cities.

该公司表示，它已经完成了涉及数百名患者的临床研究，并在美国多个城市验证了其自助服务模式。

By integrating Eyebot within retail spaces, vision care becomes more accessible, allowing customers to learn about the quality of their vision, receive prescriptions, and purchase eyewear in just one visit, according to the company.

该公司表示，通过将Eyebot整合到零售空间，视力护理变得更加容易获得，让客户只需一次就诊就可以了解视力质量，接受处方和购买眼镜。

The freestanding, user-friendly machine is capable of performing hundreds of vision tests per day, offering a more efficient, accessible way to provide eye exams, according to the company. Consumers can purchase a prescription for $30 and can then get a consultation with a clinician to review the data.

据该公司称，这种独立的、用户友好的机器每天能够进行数百次视力测试，为眼科检查提供了一种更有效、更方便的方法。消费者可以花30美元购买处方，然后可以咨询临床医生以查看数据。

The company says it has built out a tele-doctor network of providers. .

该公司表示，它已经建立了一个由供应商组成的远程医生网络。。

The ophthalmology workforce already is understaffed. Since the 1990s, the number of ophthalmologists practicing in the U.S. has been trending downwards, while the demand for eyecare is simultaneously increasing due to the country’s aging population. A workforce study published in December projected a 12% decline in full-time equivalent ophthalmologists by 2035 while demand is projected to increase by 24%..

眼科工作人员已经人手不足。自20世纪90年代以来，在美国执业的眼科医生数量一直呈下降趋势，而由于该国人口老龄化，对眼科护理的需求同时增加。12月发表的一项劳动力研究预测，到2035年，全职等效眼科医生将减少12%，而需求预计将增加24%。。

Related

相关

Primary care player Forward unveils AI-based, self-serve CarePods backed by $100M series E round

初级保健玩家Forward推出了基于人工智能的自助式CarePods，并获得了1亿美元的E轮系列赛的支持

A study from the Baylor College of Medicine found that more than 25% of U.S. counties did not have a single practicing eye care provider. There were fewer than seven optometrists and ophthalmologists to care for every 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries in counties with the median number of providers and on average only one of these providers was an ophthalmologist, the study found.

贝勒医学院（BaylorCollege of Medicine）的一项研究发现，超过25%的美国县没有一家专业的眼科护理提供者。研究发现，在提供者人数中位数的县，每10000名医疗保险受益人中，只有不到7名验光师和眼科医生需要照顾，平均而言，这些提供者中只有一名是眼科医生。

These shortages may limit access to basic eye care and reduce adherence to national screening guidelines, researchers noted..

研究人员指出，这些短缺可能会限制获得基本眼部护理的机会，并降低对国家筛查指南的依从性。。

Eyebot aims to bridge these gaps with its self-serve vision testing terminals.

Eyebot旨在通过其自助式视力测试终端弥合这些差距。

'The great thing about this model is that the upfront consultation that happens right at the kiosk is essentially free because it's subsidized by the retail brand. That allows us to put these self-serve kiosks all over the country, including in health deserts and locations where there's simply no vision care available in any direction for some consumers for one or two hours,' Hofmann said..

“这种模式的好处在于，就在售货亭进行的前期咨询基本上是免费的，因为它是由零售品牌补贴的。霍夫曼说，这使我们能够在全国各地建立这些自助服务亭，包括在健康沙漠和一些消费者在任何方向都无法获得视力护理的地方，一到两个小时。。

The Eyebot terminals are built on a suite of different technologies, he said.

他说，眼动终端基于一套不同的技术。

'Those technologies include a touch-free, contactless refraction. That means you as a user stand in front of it and the technology automatically aims and searches for the eyes and then uses infrared light measurements,' he said.

“这些技术包括无接触、无接触折射。他说，这意味着作为用户，你站在它面前，这项技术会自动瞄准和搜索眼睛，然后使用红外光测量。

The technology can detect refractive errors, including nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism to determine if a user needs glasses or contact lenses.

该技术可以检测屈光不正，包括近视、远视和散光，以确定用户是否需要眼镜或隐形眼镜。

'The technology can also see over 20 different other indications and diseases at this point, which includes cataracts, we can classify cataracts, we can see corneal scars, keratoconus, miosis, Graves disease, amblyopia and strabismus. We can do a big portion of the anterior vision exam,' Hofmann said..

“目前，该技术还可以看到20多种不同的其他适应症和疾病，包括白内障，我们可以对白内障进行分类，我们可以看到角膜疤痕，圆锥角膜，瞳孔缩小，格雷夫斯病，弱视和斜视。霍夫曼说：“我们可以做大部分的前视力检查。”。。

'It requires very deep R&D on ophthalmic technology because we had to build everything new from scratch. This interface we've developed does not exist, it's never been built before. Our vision testing technology is proprietary and built from the ground up,' he said.

“这需要在眼科技术上进行非常深入的研发，因为我们必须从头开始构建一切新技术。我们开发的这个界面不存在，它以前从未构建过。他说，我们的视力测试技术是专有的，是从头开始构建的。

'The in-person vision test is a major obstacle for consumers and retailers in the corrective eyewear market,' said Abe Murray, general partner at AlleyCorp, in a statement. 'Eyebot's implementation of automation and cutting-edge technology has the potential to completely transform the way leading eyewear brands perform vision tests and deliver prescriptions.

AlleyCorp的普通合伙人安倍·默里（AbeMurray）在一份声明中说，面对面视力测试是矫正眼镜市场上消费者和零售商的主要障碍。'Eyebot自动化和尖端技术的实施有可能彻底改变领先眼镜品牌进行视力测试和提供处方的方式。

Eyebot is bringing vision care to underserved communities and health deserts across the world at the touch of a button.'.

只需按一下按钮，Eyebot就可以为全世界服务不足的社区和健康沙漠带来视力保健。”。

Eyebot attracted interest from investors who identified the need to innovate in vision care. The startup also benefits from strong investor appetite in AI-based companies, Hofmann noted.

眼球吸引了投资者的兴趣，他们认为需要在视力护理方面进行创新。霍夫曼指出，这家初创公司还得益于投资者对人工智能公司的浓厚兴趣。

'There's a very big interest currently in the state of AI and there's a big AI component to what Eyebot is doing. The complexity is on the hardware side with the measurements, we do all the measurements automatically, and there's a lot of AI that enables that full automation,' he said.

“目前，人们对人工智能的现状非常感兴趣，Eyebot正在做的事情也有很大的人工智能成分。他说，测量的复杂性在于硬件方面，我们会自动进行所有测量，而且有很多人工智能可以实现完全自动化。

Hofmann's interest in health technology started 10 years ago when he was a postdoc at Harvard Medical School. He joined a startup called EyeNetra which developed smartphone-based vision exams.

霍夫曼对健康技术的兴趣始于10年前，当时他还是哈佛医学院的博士后。他加入了一家名为EyeNetra的初创公司，该公司开发了基于智能手机的视力测试。

“It was the first company to propose the idea of well, why don't individuals just do the vision test with technology to then get a prescription and buy glasses instead of having to go to the in-person exam. It was clear that this entire industry is a bit outdated compared to other industries. That hasn’t been a massive improvement in the way people can access glasses and their vision care.

“这是第一家提出这个想法的公司，为什么个人不直接用技术进行视力测试，然后拿到处方并购买眼镜，而不需要亲自检查。很明显，与其他行业相比，整个行业都有点过时。这并不是人们获得眼镜和视力护理的方式的巨大改进。

It's been the same for the past 100 years. Then, all the sudden, everybody had smartphones in their hands. I found it very interesting around this idea of getting people access to vision care through technology they already have,” he said..

过去100年都是这样。然后，突然，每个人手里都拿着智能手机。我发现这一想法非常有趣，即通过现有的技术让人们获得视力护理，”他说。。

The company built eye diagnostic devices and gained FDA approval as a Class 1 device, Hofmann noted, but struggled to develop the right user interface.

霍夫曼指出，该公司制造了眼科诊断设备，并获得FDA批准为1类设备，但很难开发正确的用户界面。

“What we couldn't see at the time is that most people, no matter how valuable it is, can wrap their heads around a new or complicated test that you have to do on a non-traditional user interface where you have to like set up the phone a certain way and you have to follow instructions. As soon as you do that, you lose 95% of the population,” he said.

他说：“我们当时看不到的是，大多数人，无论它多么有价值，都可以在非传统用户界面上进行新的或复杂的测试，你必须喜欢以某种方式设置手机，并且必须遵循指示。一旦这样做，你就会失去95%的人口。”。

“We learned that the hard way. We built something that worked on a technical level, but the user experience and the journey just didn't work.”.

“我们通过艰苦的方式了解到了这一点。我们构建了一些在技术层面上起作用的东西，但用户体验和旅程都不起作用。”。

He added, “But it stuck with me because it was very clear that we're on to something and there is a very large need for doctors. There are not enough doctors, about 6,000 doctors unfilled positions in the United States in retail for optometrists. One in 10 Americans walks around with blurry vision so the problem is there.

他补充道：“但这让我很困惑，因为很明显，我们正在努力，对医生的需求非常大。美国没有足够的医生，大约6000名医生没有为验光师提供零售职位。每10名美国人中就有1人视力模糊，所以问题就存在了。

The big conclusion is that smartphones are not the solution.”.

最大的结论是，智能手机不是解决方案。”。

Hofmann then worked at other companies and gained experience scaling up hardware and building startups. He decided to tackle vision care from a different angle. “The big conclusion was that we have to build a new interface that people can use and anyone can use; something that is so simple that it just happens automatically.

霍夫曼后来在其他公司工作，积累了扩大硬件规模和建立初创公司的经验。他决定从另一个角度解决视力护理问题。“重要的结论是，我们必须构建一个新的界面，人们可以使用，任何人都可以使用；它非常简单，可以自动实现。

You just need to push a button and the rest happens automatically.”.

你只需要按下一个按钮，其余的事情就会自动发生。”。

In five years, Hofmann would like to see Eyebot's terminals expanded to over 5,000 locations across the country. 'Our target eventually is to reach 97% of the population within within 10 minutes,' he said.

霍夫曼（Hofmann）希望在五年内看到Eyebot的终端扩展到全国5000多个地点他说，我们的目标最终是在10分钟内达到97%的人口。

He sees the potential to expand Eyebot's self-serve technology outside the U.S. market as well.

他也看到了在美国市场之外扩展Eyebot自助服务技术的潜力。

'We have all these developing nations that also have a doctor shortage. This is a universal problem; the population is growing and the expertise required, the trained eye care providers, are not growing with the population. That gap keeps increasing. We want to provide patient care equally to all, regardless of income or socioeconomic background, so we're lowering the barrier to entry so low that it's just a great equalizer for everyone,' he said..

“我们所有这些发展中国家都存在医生短缺的问题。这是一个普遍存在的问题；人口在增长，所需的专业知识，训练有素的眼科护理提供者，并没有随着人口的增长而增长。这种差距不断扩大。他说：“我们希望平等地为所有人提供病人护理，无论收入或社会经济背景如何，因此我们正在将进入门槛降低到如此之低，这对每个人来说都是一个很好的平衡。”。。

There are a number of companies using AI-based diagnostics for eye exams. Three companies currently offer FDA-approved AI eye exams for diabetic retinopathy — Digital Diagnostics, Eyenuk and Israeli software company AEYE Health.

有许多公司使用基于AI的诊断进行眼科检查。目前有三家公司提供FDA批准的糖尿病视网膜病变人工智能眼科检查-数字诊断，Eyenuk和以色列软件公司AEYE Health。

Another company, Visibly, developed an eye test that requires only a smartphone and a computer and can be performed from the comfort of a user’s own home, as Fierce Medtech reported.

据Fierce Medtech报道，另一家公司开发了一种视力测试，它只需要一部智能手机和一台电脑，就可以在用户舒适的家中进行。

Medical software company Heru is using AI and virtual reality to develop vision tests. Using commercially available headsets, the company is developing an artificial-intelligence-powered diagnostic to help examine a person for any losses in their visual field, such as from glaucoma or following a stroke, or for double vision and other eye conditions, according to Fierce Medtech..

医疗软件公司Heru正在使用人工智能和虚拟现实技术开发视力测试。据Fierce Medtech介绍，该公司正在利用商用耳机开发一种人工智能诊断仪，以帮助检查一个人的视野是否有任何损失，例如青光眼或中风，或复视和其他眼部疾病。。

The concept of self-serve, automated healthcare leveraging AI is starting to gain some traction.

利用人工智能的自助式自动化医疗保健的概念开始获得一些吸引力。

In November, primary care player Forward unveiled self-serve CarePods that use artificial intelligence to screen and diagnose health conditions. The new CarePods, which look like kiosks, are being deployed in malls, gyms, and offices starting in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

11月，primary care player Forward推出了自助式CarePods，它使用人工智能来筛查和诊断健康状况。新的CarePods看起来像亭子，正在旧金山湾区、纽约、芝加哥和费城的商场、健身房和办公室部署。

Forward plans to more than double its footprint in 2024, the company said..

该公司表示，Forward计划在2024年将其足迹扩大一倍以上。。

The AI-based CarePods are designed like kiosks that automate medical check-ups. The CarePods are the next step in the company's vision to use technology to scale healthcare services to large populations, essentially, everybody, Adrian Aoun, Forward's outspoken founder and CEO, told Fierce Healthcare..

基于人工智能的CarePods设计得像自动体检的信息亭。Forward的创始人兼首席执行官阿德里安·奥恩（AdrianAoun）直言不讳地告诉Fierce healthcare，CarePods是该公司愿景的下一步，即利用技术将医疗保健服务扩展到大量人群，基本上是每个人。。