Infrared Thermal Sensor for a Low Cost and Non-invasive Detection of Skin Cancer

Abstract

Skin cancer is in a rising trend over the years. Though there are of many conventional approaches for skin cancer diagnosis, there is still a massive demand for the device with features of low cost, compact, portable, less diagnosis time, comfortable (no biopsy), high sensitivity and accuracy. The proposed system is the implementation of infrared (IR) thermal sensor in a non-contact manner which detects the temperature of the epidermal layer of skin, where the temperature of the skin varies for the subjects if they have cancer. The device receives the signal from the sensor unit, and it is further processed to detect the various level of skin cancer. The system process optimization was performed, and optimization factors were reported based on the sensor operating distance to detect the values efficiently. From the analysis, it was observed that there’s a 2.4 °C temperature difference for the thermometer and infrared thermal sensor reading. Also, the thermometer reading was greater by 2.4 °C comparing to the sensor values. This is attributed to the emissivity nature of the heated objects to the ambiance. This system can also be used as a wearable device by alerting the subject of their condition. This system provides better monitoring with high accuracy through non-invasive technique and early detection can be made to prevent cancer deaths.