Zhangchao's Development History

1816In the year, the French physician Laennec invented the stethoscope, and for the following two centuries, almost all doctors have used it. However, apart from electronic stethoscopes that can amplify signals and filter, there has been little progress in stethoscope style and technology. Ultrasound examination can provide anatomical and functional information without ionizing radiation.In the past five years, in fields such as cardiovascular, obstetrics and gynecology, and gastroenterology, ultrasound diagnosis has largely replaced the stethoscope. Portable ultrasound diagnostic devices suitable for clinical screening, with functions such as sound amplification, image display, and remote transmission, are called "visualizers" carried by doctors.

Early ultrasound equipment was very bulky, The Size of the display system and imaging system was often larger than today's desktop computers. So people began to simplify its internal circuits, launching portable ultrasound imaging devices with tablet computer Sizes or even smartphone Sizes. Siemens2007year launchedhandheld ultrasound ACUSON P10'At that time, it only hadBultrasonic function, weighing only730g，marking the advent of handheld ultrasound imaging systems. 

Siemens handheld ultrasoundACUSON P10

In 2008, GE's VScan 1.0 was launched in the United States, causing a sensation, and was then named one of the "50 Best Inventions of 2009" by Time magazine and one of the "100 Best Technological Achievements of 2010" by the well-known popular science magazine Popular Science.VScanwas launched in China in May 2011. Its Size is 135mm×73mm×28mm, and its weight is 390g (including the probe and battery). The appearance is similar to a folding Mobile. The operation part has no keyboard and is equipped with an intuitive dial key (DialKey).This product is completely different from the existing ultrasound diagnostic devices. With a full charge, it can work continuously for one hour and perform routine scans on 30 patients.VScan achieved the integration of two transducers into one probe for the first time.The emergence of VScan marks the increasing perfection of the functions of handheld ultrasound imaging systems,has transitioned from black and white ultrasound to color ultrasound。

Philips' handheld ultrasound Lumify received FDA certification in 2015. Lumify's small Size, portability, high-definition images comparable to desktop ultrasound, and intelligent remote settings are expected to break the boundaries of time and space and users. It is both a probe and an ultrasound host. You only need to connect it to an Android smart device, whether it is a tablet or a Mobile, and you can immediately perform an ultrasound scan, without the need for a dedicated screen for image display as before.

Founded in 2011, Butterfly is one of the world's leading R&D companies of handheld ultrasound imaging devices. It is committed to leading the decentralized transformation of medical imaging through the R&D and application of "handheld ultrasound + AI". The ButterflyiQ ultrasound product launched in 2017 isthe world's first FDA-approved personal ultrasound device，and alsothe world's first single-probe, whole-body ultrasound imager.

Butterfly Network uses (MEMS) sensor technology to replace piezoelectric crystals with chips, combining linear array, convex array, and phased array probes into one, which is an innovation in handheld ultrasound technology.

Globally, handheld ultrasound devices have experienced two waves of product trends.The first wave was led by giants such as GPS, leading the handheld ultrasound era. From 2009 to 2011, products included GE's VScan first-generation machine, Siemens' Acuson P10, and Mobisante's MobiUS. However, due to design concepts and technical level issues, there were many defects in usability and imaging quality.

The second wave started simultaneously with domestic and foreign start-ups,In 2016-2017, domestic and foreign start-ups basically obtained the first certification for handheld ultrasound products simultaneously: Langsheng was the first in China, followed by SonoStar and Suzhou Scott; foreign companies include Signostics from Australia, Clarius from Canada, and Butterfly from the United States, invested by Fosun. The new generation of products has made great improvements in design concepts and technical means compared to the first generation, and has significantly improved usability and imaging quality, basically eliminating the first wave of products.