Handheld non-contact laser ultrasound medical scanner

The goal of this research, over the course of both phases, is to produce, test, and demonstrate a handheld device capable of producing high quality ultrasound scans of the human body without touching the body. As anticipated in the SBIR topic description a natural approach is to use non-contact laser excitation to generate ultrasonic acoustic waves in the body, and a laser vibrometer to acquire the signals reflected from internal body objects and interfaces by detecting and measuring vibrations at the surface of the skin – the non-contact Laser Ultrasound Scanner (ncLUS). We propose a novel design that relies on a registration algorithm from computer science that enables true handheld operation.