Advancing towards ubiquitous medical ultrasound

随着成像设备变得更小，价格变得更低，市场变得更大和更多样化，超声波领域正在被颠覆。超声波增长最快的领域是口袋大小的设备，价格接近2000美元。增长得益于新型的微型芯片上超声电子产品、与智能手机的直接连接以及先进的实时图像处理。因此，随着这些极其便携的超声波设备通过更广泛的运营商进入新市场，它们有可能成为“无处不在的超声波”。我的研究一直是改进2D和3D的图像采集，并通过新软件提高图像质量。尽管我们已经成功地改进了这些方面，但越来越明显的是，传统超声硬件仍然存在采用障碍。特别是，超声波必须更容易操作。今天，操作员的专业知识仍然是一个关键和限制因素，所以即使是最新的超声波设备，与它们的潜在用途相比，也相对较少被使用。我们实验室在超声换能器方面的突破性研究有可能从根本上改变超声波的操作方式，并极大地扩大超声波的使用。特别是，我们发明了一种创造芯片上超声的新方法，用灵活、透明、可穿戴的贴片取代了标准的刚性手持换能器。这笔赠款将开发新的计算机算法，利用这些能力帮助以新的方式操作超声波，特别是在指导专门程序方面。例如，一种灵活、透明、可穿戴的贴片可以让操作员使用双手进行手术，同时通过超声图像实时观看手术。在这一程序和其他相关程序中启用超声引导应该会提高它们的摄取率、速度、准确性和结果。所提出的算法将：(1)利用柔性换能器形成高质量的超声图像；(2)使用透明换能器进行跟踪和制导；(3)使用增强现实技术计算和显示基于图像的制导；(4)将这些算法集成到一个可客观测试的可用系统中。最终的结果将是一套能够实现一种新的、互补的超声波操作方式的技术。这些新技术不仅将在医疗应用中开辟新的应用，还将在人造材料的无损检测方面开辟新的应用，例如制造中的缺陷检测。这笔研究拨款将在这一不断增长的超声领域培养3名博士、3名硕士和4名BASC，加拿大在学术界和工业界都处于领先地位。这些HQP将在超声信号和图像处理方面获得特定技能，以及在实时软件设计、增强现实和人工智能方面的更一般技能，所有这些技能都是在跨学科、具有代表性、具有挑战性和受欢迎的研究环境中需求很高的。

The field of ultrasound is being disrupted as imaging devices get smaller, prices get lower, and markets get larger and more diverse. The fastest growing segment of ultrasound is in pocket-sized devices with prices approaching $2000. Growth has been derived from new, miniature ultrasound-on-a-chip electronics, direct connection to a smartphone, and advanced real-time image processing. As a result, these extremely portable ultrasound devices have the potential to become "ubiquitous ultrasound" as they reach new markets with a wider range of operators. My research has been on improving image acquisition in both 2D and 3D plus improving image quality through new software. Although we have been successful in improving these aspects, it is becoming clearer that barriers to adoption still exist with traditional ultrasound hardware. In particular, ultrasound must be easier to operate. Today, the expertise of the operator is still a critical and limiting factor, so even the latest ultrasound devices are used relatively infrequently compared to their potential usage. Breakthrough research in our lab on ultrasound transducers has the potential to fundamentally change the way ultrasound is operated and greatly expand the use of ultrasound. In particular, we invented a new way of creating ultrasound-on-a-chip that replaces the standard rigid hand-held transducer with a flexible, transparent, wearable patch. This grant will develop new computer algorithms that use these capabilities to help operate ultrasound in new ways, especially in guiding specialized procedures. For example, a flexible, transparent, wearable patch could allow an operator to use both hands to perform a procedure, while at the same time watch the procedure live on the ultrasound image. Enabling ultrasound guidance in this and other related procedures should improve their uptake, speed, accuracy and outcomes. The proposed algorithms will: (1) form high-quality ultrasound images from a flexible transducer; (2) perform tracking and guidance with a transparent transducer; (3) calculate and display image-based guidance using augmented reality; and then we will (4) integrate these algorithms into a usable system that can be objectively tested. The end result will be a set of technologies that enable a new and complementary way of operating ultrasound. These new technologies will open up new applications not only in medical applications but also in non-destructive testing of man-made materials such as flaw detection in manufacturing. This research grant will train 3 PhD, 3 MASc, and 4 BASc in this growing field of ultrasound that Canada enjoys a leading role both in academia and industry. These HQP will gain specific skills in ultrasound signal and image processing plus more general skills in real-time software design, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, all of which are in high demand, in an interdisciplinary, representative, challenging, and welcoming research environment.