Why it matters
When breast cancer is found changes everything
Many women in rural and underserved communities face long drives, long waits and real costs to get a mammogram, so too many cancers are found late.
5-year relative survival when breast cancer is caught while still localized
5-year relative survival once it has spread to distant parts of the body
Source: American Cancer Society, based on SEER data for women diagnosed 2015–2021.
How it works
A screening visit in four steps
ThermalSense is designed as an adjunctive triage tool. It helps decide who should be referred for diagnostic imaging; it does not replace mammography.
Capture
A trained operator takes thermal images with a portable FLIR ONE Edge Pro camera. No radiation, no compression.
Analyze
An AI model running on the device looks for abnormal heat patterns associated with breast tumors.
Triage
The app returns a clear result: routine follow-up, or refer for imaging.
Refer
Women who are flagged are referred to a provider for diagnostic imaging.
Images are encrypted and stay on the device by default. The operator can share them with another healthcare provider when needed.
Who it’s for
Built for the places women already go
Pharmacies
Add breast screening to pharmacy wellness stations with a compact kit and a software subscription.
Hospitals and health systems
Equip outreach teams and rural clinics with healthcare worker kits.
Community health programs
Bring screening to mobile clinics and community events in underserved areas.
Progress
Early results and what comes next
Our model is a ResNet50 fine-tuned on the public DMR-IR breast thermography dataset and optimized to run on the device. These are preliminary research results.
- Working prototype built on the FLIR ONE Edge Pro thermal camera
- Febricor LLC formed in Tennessee
- Regulatory path defined: Class II adjunctive triage device via FDA 510(k), with a software-as-a-medical-device layer
- Next: partner with physicians and a hospital IRB to collect clinical data and validate the model on real patients
Team
Founded in Memphis, Tennessee
Roberta Henriquez
Founder & CEO
Roberta is completing a double degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering at the University of Memphis. She designed and trained the ThermalSense AI model and built the hardware prototype, with the goal of making early breast cancer screening reachable for every community.