A Wireless Sensor System for Diabetic Retinopathy Grading Using MobileViT-Plus and ResNet-Based Hybrid Deep Learning Framework

Traditional fundus image-based diabetic retinopathy (DR) grading depends on the examiner’s experience, requiring manual annotations on the fundus image and also being time-consuming. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology can provide automatic decision-making for DR grading application. However, the diagnostic accuracy of the AI model is one of challenges that limited the effectiveness of the WSNs-aided DR grading application. Regarding this issue, we propose a WSN architecture and a parallel deep learning framework (HybridLG) for actualizing automatic DR grading and achieving a fundus image-based deep learning model with superior classification performance, respectively. In particular, the framework constructs a convolutional neural network (CNN) backbone and a Transformer backbone in a parallel manner. A novel lightweight deep learning model named MobileViT-Plus is proposed to implement the Transformer backbone of the HybridLG, and a model training strategy inspired by an ensemble learning strategy is designed to improve the model generalization ability. Experimental results demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of the proposed HybridLG framework, obtaining excellent performance in grading diabetic retinopathy with strong generalization performance. Our work is significant for guiding the studies of WSNs-aided DR grading and providing evidence for supporting the efficacy of the AI technology in DR grading applications.