I-Corps: Commercialization Feasibility Research and Demonstration Preparation for Fiber Optic Ultrasound Transducers

提出的创新是一种新型的光纤超声换能器，它可以产生、检测和控制超声波。所有的超声波产生、检测和转向都是通过光学手段而不是电子方法来操作的。该项目的最终目标是制定一项技术转移计划，该计划决定了PI团队一直在开发的光纤超声换能器的市场价值，并最终形成详细的商业化计划，包括商业模式、营销和资源需求。该团队将根据I-Corps项目过程中获得的信息，努力将该技术转化为初创公司和/或许可机会。提出的创新目标是生物医学超声成像，特别是血管内超声（IVUS）成像，以及恶劣环境下的超声无损检测应用。该系统具有广泛的应用前景。例如，通过向组织激发宽带超声信号并收集回波信号，可以确定杨氏模量等物理特性。因此，该系统可用于区分肿瘤组织和正常组织。该系统还可用于核电站、井下油井等恶劣环境下的远程超声无损检测。

The proposed innovation is a novel fiber optic ultrasound transducer which generates, detects, and steers ultrasound. All ultrasound generation, detection, and steering are operated by optical means instead of electrical approaches. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a technology transfer plan, which determines the market value of the fiber optic ultrasound transducers that the PI's team has been developing and finally results in a detailed commercialization plan including a business model, marketing, and resource requirements. The team will work hard on transiting the technology into a start-up company and/or licensing opportunity based on information gained through the I-Corps program process.The proposed innovation targets at biomedical ultrasound imaging, specifically intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, and ultrasound non-destructive testing applications in harsh environments. This proposed system can have broad applications. For example, by exciting broad bandwidth ultrasound signals to the tissue and collecting the echo signals, physical properties such as Young's modulus can be determined. Therefore, the proposed system can be used to distinguish tumor tissue from normal tissue. The proposed system can also be used for remote ultrasound non-destructive tests in harsh environments such as nuclear power plant or down-hole oil wells.