IT'S A DEFLATIONARY EPOCH:

Ultrasound systems, first developed in the early 1940s, beam high-frequency sound waves into a body. The sound that bounces back is converted into video images of a patient's organs and bones. Such scans are routinely used to monitor pregnancies, and to examine organs, bones, and blood vessels. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, ultrasound systems don't use hazardous radiation, and unlike MRI scans, they don't require massive magnets and a lot of electric power. They are also relatively small and portable.

Still, the machines require a skilled technician to manually aim the ultrasound probe at the correct part of the patient's body. Also, the technician must apply a gel to the area being monitored, to ensure the sound travels properly through the body. This gel must be reapplied before each ultrasound scan. Robots are sometimes used to hold the ultrasound probe in place for extended periods, but it's a costly and uncomfortable process.

The new MIT system would allow a doctor or technician to attach a patch directly over the area to be scanned. The patch is plugged into a device that captures the ultrasound signal, converts it to a viewable image and records it for future reference.

Just as intensive care doctors routinely use inexpensive sensors to detect a person's heart rate or blood oxygen level, the ultrasound patch could make it just as easy for them to call up live ultrasound images of a patient's vital organs. "That imaging can be long term, let's say over a full day, and continuous," said Zhao.

Tweet   @brothersjudd