PainVisible: The first AI powered medical tool that makes pain visible

Pain is a crucial factor in medical assessment. In fact, over 90% of patients identify it as their principal complaint. However, until now, measuring pain has relied almost entirely on verbal communication. But, what happens when someone can’t express themselves? How do we assess the suffering of a baby, or of someone living with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome or dementia?

PainVisible was created to answer precisely these questions. Developed through a collaboration between Aritium, VML Health and WideLabs, this pioneering medical tool is the first in the world to use thermal imaging and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to visualize, analyze and quantify pain objectively, in real time, and without the need for words.

How PainVisible works: A tool designed to make the invisible visible

PainVisible combines thermal imaging and AI in a compact, portable system that is easy to integrate into clinical practice. Its architecture can be understood through three interconnected levels:

Thermal capture of pain

It all starts with a high-sensitivity thermal camera connected to a smartphone, capable of capturing, within seconds, heat patterns on the patient’s skin surface, resulting from physiological changes associated with pain. These thermal images, along with contextual variables such as time, ambient temperature, or anatomical area, form the basis for further analysis.

Comparison with a scientific knowledge base

The captured images are automatically compared to a knowledge base built from thousands of clinical studies. The system cross-references the thermal maps with information such as:

• The patient's age and demographic characteristics.
• Pre-existing conditions and medical history.
• Previously reported pain levels from similar patient profiles.

This step is essential for placing the image in context and eliminating individual or environmental biases.

Smart analysis of pain

A multimodal AI model processes all the collected data to generate a structured pain assessment, including:

• Precise localization of the pain source.
• Classification of the type of pain (inflammatory, neuropathic, visceral, etc.).
• Quantification of intensity using clinical scales.
• Contextualized clinical evaluation..
• Evidence-based treatment recommendations.

The final output is presented in a format that is easily interpretable by healthcare professionals, providing a universal clinical languagefor pain, regardless of whether the patient has been able to describe their experience or not.

Pain diagnosis beyond borders

PainVisible is currently being implemented in hospitals across Spain, where the first results are already emerging:

“PainVisible is groundbreaking. It allows us to understand and measure our patients’ pain objectively, even when they cannot articulate their experience”. Óscar Natoli, Head of Purchase of Pain Unit at the MIVI Hospital in Barcelona.

And this is just the beginning. In the coming months, this innovative tool will expand to hospitals in other countries across Europe, Latin America, and the United States, with the aim of transforming pain diagnosis and care for patients who are unable to express themselves around the world.

Global recognition

Beyond its clinical impact, PainVisible has a clear mission: to break down communication barriers in healthcare and ensure that no patient suffers in silence.

Thanks to this approach, its level of innovation and technology, PainVisible has already received international recognition, with multiple awards including Clio Health 2025 and El Sol 2025.

But that’s not all. PainVisible has also been shortlisted in the Product Innovation and Technology categories at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025, the world’s most prestigious creativity event, which will take place from June 16 to 20.

This recognition is a clear reflection of how experts perceive PainVisible: as a real, tangible, and transformative innovation.

To learn more about PainVisible and its impact, visit: www.painvisible.com

About VML

VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Intel and Microsoft.

The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, which name WPP as a “Leader” in Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 30,000 talented people across 60-plus markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit www.vml.com, and follow VML on Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

About WideLabs

WideLabs is a Brazilian Applied Artificial Intelligence company, founded in May 2020, known for humanizing technology and creating solutions that combine creativity, science, and real-world impact. Throughout its journey — working with some of the world's leading organizations — the company has received dozens of prestigious awards at renowned creativity and innovation festivals such as Cannes Lions, LIA, and The Creative Floor.

With a multidisciplinary team composed of experts in business, science, technology, and the arts, WideLabs develops solutions that tackle complex challenges and deliver transformative results for companies and individuals. Its purpose is to turn the potential of AI into practical tools that make a real difference in the lives of its clients and users — always balancing humanity, creativity, and scientific rigor.

For more information, please visit www.widelabs.com.br, and follow WideLabs on Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Aritium

Aritium combines the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence to transform the way hospitals and healthcare organizations operate worldwide with the aim of making better use of resources, optimizing operations, and enabling healthcare professionals to focus on what they do best: caring for patients

For more information, please visit www.aritium.com and follow along on LinkedIn and X.