New Startup Raises $100M for Portable Ultrasound

I guess what's new here is the capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducers (CMUT), ultrasound emitters directly on a semi-conductor wafer. Though I would like to see what we can do with this technology without limitations of mobile/portable.

In terms of portable ultrasound, there are a few existing solutions on the market:

This looks pretty portable (connected to an iPhone too): http://www.mobisante.com/

GE's portable ultrasound seems pretty portable too: http://www3.gehealthcare.com/en/Products/Categories/Ultrasou...

Best of luck to Rothberg et al., I believe there's a huge consumer market for a portable ultrasound done right! The pregnancy market alone is vast, e.g. https://www.bellabeat.com/

Hope they destroy the industry.

10 minutes of ultrasound to diagnose a serious illness can cost several hundred dollars in the USA

Maybe in a decade it can even be built into smartphones like a tricorder.

This device already looks like it can plug into a smartphone http://www.mobisante.com/products/product-overview/

Rothberg is something of a character.

His two DNA sequencing companies (454 and Ion torrent) have both had what I would consider successful exits (solid to Roche and Life technologies respectively). But more importantly both products made their way into the hands of consumers (which is actually rare for DNA sequencing startups). However after acquisition both products failed to gain significant traction (Roche has just shelved 454).

He also engages in a certain amount of showmanship [1], which has as gained him some ridicule. I think he has to be respected to successfully executing in a market where most startups fizzle out though.

I hope this pans out though, it sounds awesome. I really hope this (and other research/medical device) technology makes its way into the hands of normal consumers (not just research labs/medical institutes).

[1] Oh and he has a scale model of Stonehenge in his back yard. http://clonehenge.com/2009/01/17/circle-of-life-connecticuts...

An you can feed a software consultant on 1 dollar a day.

The price in medicine is mostly not the hardware but the required expertise to analyse the data. Ultrasound imaging is not easy. The american health system is very expensive though, a ultrasound is around 50 euro's here.

That said, 3D ultrasound can have tons of other applications not just in diagnostic medicine. Real time surgcial feedback in soft tissue, yes please!

Because in countries where this is a problem it's common to have extreme restrictions on use of ultrasound machines. For example requiring two doctors to be present to use it and banning gender identification uses.

If this device is cheap/small enough that illegal clinics could have it, it would make gender identification much more widely available then it is now.

Selective abortion can be dangerous population-wise because even a small gender skew can be hugely problematic.