Oviva, a company based in Altendorf in the canton of Schwyz, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide nutritional advice. Subscribers aiming to become healthier through a Mediterranean diet can take pictures of their meals and drinks in an app. Stavroula Mougiakakou from the University of Bern commented in a press release by Oviva: “The analytical system not only recognizes the individual foods and estimates the portion size, it also calculates the degree to which the individual adheres to a Mediterranean diet on a weekly basis.”
This AI-based system was developed and tested within a joint research project between the digital health company Oviva, the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research at the University of Bern, and the University of Zurich’s Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute. The automated function aims to motivate patients to actively work on their eating habits over the long term. It should additionally ease the burden on nutritional specialists, prevent diet-related illnesses, and save on healthcare expenditure. The research paper was recently published in the specialist journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Individuals can also use Oviva’s app to record their physical activity and weight. Furthermore, it can be used for regular exchanges with nutritional specialists and provides users with educational content. According to the information provided, Oviva works together with statutory health insurers and national healthcare systems. It is active in Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.
