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

SBIR 第一阶段：人工智能驱动的架构，用于医疗保健中更智能的超声应用

• 批准号: 1938462
• 负责人: Richard Tobias
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: WHITE EAGLE SONIC TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-10-15 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938462&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; AI; powered; architecture

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.

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响是通过引入超声系统的创新架构来开辟医学成像的新领域。超声检查是一种广泛用于临床诊断和指导治疗程序的方法。然而，超声引擎的技术瓶颈目前阻碍了数据密集型应用。通过将计算能力直接引入超声引擎，该项目将允许以最高质量实时进行3D功能超声成像。提出的创新将允许产生新的超声设备，能够以特殊的细节可视化身体组织，并由数据驱动的计算机辅助诊断应用程序提供动力。超声系统将首次拥有足够的高质量数据来使用人工智能（AI）算法，预计这将减少与超声分析相关的时间和成本，并改善患者的预后。该项目还将通过允许在世界各地的研究机构中使用的新工具的产生，促进超声技术的医疗应用领域的研究。拟议的项目将改变超声波发动机的范式。今天，超声数据密集型应用受到从超声引擎到计算机的信号传输速度的限制，在计算机中必须对信号进行处理。该项目建议在超声引擎内部集成专门的计算能力，以允许在收集信号的地方进行实时信号处理和图像分析，从而降低对数据传输和处理的要求。为第一阶段项目提出的活动将使公司能够构建和验证高性能可扩展硬件架构的功能原型。原型执行超快速帧形成成像的能力将通过模拟数据密集型操作来验证。同时，将开发一个最小可行软件，以实时控制、分析和显示硬件产生的数据量，并动态加载应用程序和算法供临床使用。在第一阶段项目中进行的可行性研究将构成扩展软件平台操作能力的基础，并评估原型执行实时高速成像和识别人体结构的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。