[Zhenya]

Something like this could actually save lives. Take a photo of what bit you, then the app could provide an answer (with a confidence level) of "do I need to go to the hospital" and provide a few example apps for various matches with level of danger.

Thanks for sharing!

[tagh]

That is, if you haven't already squished it!

Speaking as an Australian, common spiders which aren't poisonous (e.g., daddy long-legs, huntsmen, little jumpy-guys) is general knowledge. As is the really bad ones (funnel webs, redbacks). If you're bitten by something else, you generally assume it's somewhat poisonous and pay close attention to how you're feeling.

This kind of approach would have more impact for snakes, whose venom can vary significantly -- although hanging around to snap a picture seems dangerous. Perhaps a suggestion system based on salient features?

[lgats]

Now we just need to classify squished spiders.

[dbaupp]

I don't think it is actually likely to save lives, because spiders very rarely kill. As far as I can tell, there's been one death from a spider bite in Australia in 40 years: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/12/young-man-dies-a... .

[thomasfoster96]

That’s probably because it’s fairly widely known (in Australia) that if you’re bitten by a red-back or funnel-web spider that you seek medical attention, as you would for a venomous snake. A quickly treated bite is almost never fatal.

The app helps people make the decision as to whether its a harmless spider or something that requires urgent medical attention.

[dbaupp]

Yeah, definitely: I'm only trying to highlight that this sort of app wouldn't actually do much in practice because (Australian) society already deals with such bites well. If everyone in Australia had the app and used it all the time, it still would have (maybe) prevented at most one death in the last 40 years.

In fact, since the numbers are so small, widespread useful of such an app seems like it may actually increase the number of deaths: instead of people seeing an unidentified spider and intense pain and getting treatment, people may get a false classification and so endure the pain without prompt-enough treatment ("the app says it's just a [something other than a funnelweb], I'll be fine!").

[dc_gregory]

Generally, a redback is fairly unpleasant, but doesn't require a trip to the hospital (for a healthy adult), so its unlikely to be fatal in most cases anyway (thankfully!).

Funnel-webs are terrifying.

[dsymonds]

A redback bite generally requires medical attention; though not triple-0 level urgency, it shouldn't be a wait-and-see-how-you-feel treatment.

[socceroos]

Unless you're a kid, and then even the antidote is terrifying.

[sjg007]

I think if you are bit you should seek medical attention regardless of what an app says.

[synaesthesisx]

Ah, unless you live in the United States - then it becomes a question of whether it's worth it.

[murukesh_s]

But what if you are in between a trek or in woods? Are there generic anti-venom kits available that you can carry?

[thomasfoster96]

If you’re going bush walking, you’d usually take a snake bite bandage. If you’re otherwise healthy and have other people with you, you’ve got a few hours to get yourself to a hospital or ambulance.

[King-Aaron]

Not generally, and unfortunately in recent times there have been shortages in antivenoms, and many smaller hospitals haven't been carrying them.

[bamboozled]

You'd be crazy not to get a second opinion at a hospital though right? "The app said I didn't need to see a doctor" sounds like dangerous territory.

Not saying a doctor is perfect, though I find they're often better than they get credit for.

[thrownaway954]

it's Australia... the answer is always "YES!!!"

[zaarn]

The app could probably be optimized to the following:

    def spiderIsDeath():
      return True

Though surprisingly Australia does host some non-lethal animals and insects, including spiders. Most of the time people will be fine when bitten by spiders in Australia, treatment is quick in almost all cases.

[jonathanpoulter]

I don't know if you get a chance to take a picture of what bites you most of the time... if ML could distinguish between different bites by just looking at skin, that would be incredibly useful.

[Zhenya]

Agreed with this also!

I wonder how different bites present themselves - if there is enough differentiation to provide a conclusive level feedback.