Ultrasound Imaging
Ultrasound Acquisition & Monitoring
Over the past decades, ultrasound systems have evolved from wardrobe-sized machines to handheld point鈥憃f鈥慶are devices. We believe the future of ultrasound will move in two directions: High鈥憅uality systems that offer CT鈥憀ike image quality and quantitative, radiation鈥慺ree, cost鈥慹ffective imaging for broad clinical use, and Low鈥憆esource systems that deliver just enough image quality to be clinically valuable while fitting into small or wearable form factors.
At PULS/e, we are at the forefront of both research domains. For high鈥憅uality imaging, our multi鈥慳perture approach enables flexible combinations of transducers, creating tomography鈥憀ike systems that reveal far more detail. For low鈥憆esource imaging, we design transducers and acquisition schemes optimized for continuous bio鈥憄arameter monitoring in wearable ultrasound devices.
Model-based ultrasound image reconstruction
Compared to other medical imaging techniques, ultrasound still offers lower image quality and lacks absolute grayscale values. Many current reconstruction methods rely on overly simplified wave propagation models, which introduce image artifacts. At PULS/e, we believe ultrasonic signals contain far more usable information than is currently leveraged. By incorporating more actual wave phenomena into the inverse imaging problem, we can not only reduce artifacts but also generate new imaging modes and extract quantitative information about tissue composition from the same measurements. Our research focuses on fast, powerful reconstruction methods built on advanced physical wave models, complemented by data-driven input to squeeze the last bit of information out of ultrasonic signals.