North-east robot and artificial intelligence organisations have been given funding to try and develop high-tech solutions to bone fractures.
The minor injuries can be the scourge of hard-pressed accident and emergency departments across the country.
But now Opportunity North East and the Scottish Government have announced that five organisations will share £240,000 to carry out a project looking into how robots can help.
Bering, Red Star AI, SeeAI, Jiva.ai and the Department of Computing Sciences at Aberdeen University were chosen from a field of 40 organisations.
The first phase of the programme will be delivered over a 12-week period.
The five organisations will receive £20,000 each to complete a feasibility study to create AI or machine learning algorithms which will interpret data from radiographs to diagnose fractures.
The study will focus on injuries to the upper limb, affecting the hand or wrist, and the lower limb, involving the ankle or foot.
The groups will be working alongside NHS Grampian, Aberdeen University, and Canon Medical Research Europe.
Two organisations will then be selected from the five to progress to the second phase of the programme – prototype development and testing – receiving £70,000 each over a nine-month period.