SBIR Phase I: AI-powered architecture for smarter ultrasound applications in healthcare

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to open new frontiers in medical imaging by introducing an innovative architecture for ultrasound systems. Ultrasonography is a widely used approach to perform clinical diagnosis and guide therapeutic procedures. However, technological bottlenecks in ultrasound engines currently prevent data intensive applications. By bringing the computational power directly within the ultrasound engine, this project will allow 3D functional ultrasound imaging in real-time with the highest quality. The innovation proposed will allow the generation of new ultrasound devices able to visualize body tissues in exceptional details and powered with data-driven computer-aided diagnostic applications. For the first time, ultrasound systems will have enough quality data to use algorithms of artificial intelligence (AI), which are expected to reduce time and costs associated with ultrasound analysis as well as improve patient outcomes. This project will also contribute to the advancement of research in the field of medical applications of ultrasonography technology by allowing the generation of new tools to be used in Research Institutes worldwide. The proposed project will shift the paradigm in ultrasound engines. Today, ultrasound data-intense applications are restricted by the limitation in transmission speed of signals from the ultrasound engine to a computer where they have to be processed. This project proposes to integrate specialized computational power inside the ultrasound engine to allow real-time signal processing and image analysis where the signal is collected, hence reducing the requirements for the data transmission and processing. The activities proposed for this Phase I project will allow the company to build and validate a functioning prototype of high-performance scalable hardware architecture. The ability of the prototype to perform ultra-fast frame-forming imaging will be validated by simulating data-intensive operations. Concurrently, a minimal viable software will be developed to control, analyze and display in real-time the volume of data produced by the hardware, and to dynamically load applications and algorithms for clinical use. The feasibility study performed in this Phase I project will constitute the basis to expand the operation capabilities of the software platform and assess the ability of the prototype to perform real-time high speed imaging and recognition of bodily structures. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.