Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering
Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering

Miniaturized Ultrasound Systems

Fraunhofer IBMT is developing miniaturized ultrasound systems since many years. They are designed for use for rescue services to make important diagnoses and decisions before or during transport to hospital, to guarantee medical care in remote, inaccessible regions, or to monitor chronic diseases, especially in the care of the elderly.

The focus in the development of miniaturized systems is on achieving the lowest possible form factor and reducing energy consumption to a minimum, while at the same time creating a device that meets the latest requirements and offers a wide range of functions. The use of modern data interfaces, such as WIFI and USB 3.0, ensures fast data transfer to a mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop, where further data evaluation and visualization can take place.

The Fraunhofer IBMT has developed two different miniaturized ultrasound platforms that differ in their functional scope:

  • A minimalistic 8-channel electronics with smallest dimensions of only 80 x 31 x 16 mm, equipped with a WIFI interface and a fixed transmission voltage of +/- 50 V. Operation is possible via a conventional lithium-ion battery.
  • Scalable multi-channel electronics (8, 16 or 32 channels), equipped with a USB3.0 and WIFI interface, an adjustable transmit voltage of up to +/-100 V and TGC in the receive path. Operation is possible via a +12 VDC input voltage.