Published Date : Oct 30, 2017
A pocket-sized ultrasound device compatible with the iPhone had been recently used by John Martin, a vascular surgeon, to identify squamous-cell cancer across his neck. The device has been created by the Butterfly Network based in Connecticut, where Martin is a chief medical officer. The hand-held imaging ultrasound machine is called the Butterfly iQ.
Using capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs), it has been expected to be sold at a less than US$2,000. Generally, low-end ultrasound systems cost around a US$25,000, whereas the average price could be an estimated US$115,000. Most of the technology involved in the device is housed within a chip, which could be a main reason why it costs lesser than a regular system.
Butterfly iQ Planned to Begin Shipping in 2018 at US$1,999
The Butterfly iQ has been one of the up-to-the-minute technologies created for the diagnosis of various forms of cancer. It could be counted among the technologies that involve the usage of an iPhone. According to Martin, it could be available in the form of a patch which patients could bring home with them. Martin has also said that the Butterfly Network thinks the device is an individual purchase. It could empower patients to do everything at their bedside; they could simply pull the device off their pocket and scan their entire body.
The U.S. market has seen the device as the first ultrasound machine in solid state. Its lesser expensiveness and greater versatility could be attributed to its production in a semiconductor manufacturing plant.