I-Corps Teams: Emagine Solutions Technology

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，超声波是一种拯救生命的技术。世界上50%的人无法使用超声波，这是一种救命工具，但世界上手机的数量比厕所还多，移动设备的增长速度比人类更快。这一概念利用移动的趋势和一项关键技术来改善世界各地患者的健康结果。这项技术的开发将通过增加对图像解释的支持和获得协助，使世界上仍需要获得超声成像的50%的人能够获得这项技术。新兴经济体的临床医生受到经济资源有限和培训水平较低的阻碍，无法标准采用昂贵的传统手推车超声成像。虽然改善产妇健康是联合国的一项关键健康目标，因此也是该项目的第一个重点领域，但最终目标是成为为创伤/紧急护理、妇女健康和家庭医学患者提供服务的医疗保健专业人员的世界第一流动超声波。这个i-Corps项目将专注于了解使用现有超声波技术的痛点和采用的障碍。医学生、妇产科医生、家庭医生和急诊医生将提供有关他们使用基于手推车的超声波的数据和观察。采访超声波技术的最终用户和买家将阐明学习超声波、了解诊断和导航软件平台的挑战。了解到潜在客户面临的这些挑战，该团队将进一步开发和微调他们创建的手持超声软件平台。这项技术具有先进的用户界面和显示，能够深入了解患者的S医学图像，并能够进行实时诊断。该项目所基于的技术成果来自探头制造商、超声技术专家和不同技能水平的临床医生的反馈。除了采访用户和专家，该团队还将对正在使用的各种类型的超声波技术进行深入观察。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is that ultrasound is a life-saving technology. Fifty percent of the world does not have access to ultrasound, a lifesaving tool, and yet there are more cell phones than toilets in the world, and mobile devices are multiplying faster than people. This concept leverages this trend of going mobile with a key technology to improve health outcomes for patients around the world. This technology will be developed to reach the 50% of the world that still needs access to ultrasound imaging by increasing support and access to assistance with image interpretation. Clinicians in emerging economies are impeded by limited economic resources and lower levels of training that preclude the standard adoption of expensive traditional cart-based ultrasound imaging. While improving maternal health is a key United Nations health objective and hence the first area of focus for this project, the ultimate goal is to be the number one mobile ultrasound in the world for healthcare professionals serving trauma/emergency care, women's health and family medicine patients. This I-Corps project will focus on learning about pain points of using existing ultrasound technology and barriers to adoption. Medical students, OBGYN, family and emergency physicians will provide data and observations about their use of cart-based ultrasound. Interviewing end users and buyers of ultrasound technology will illuminate challenges with learning ultrasound, understanding diagnoses, and navigating software platforms. Knowing these challenges that potential customers have, the team will further develop and fine-tune the handheld ultrasound software platform they have created. The technology has an advanced user interface and display, the ability to gain insights about a patient?s medical images, and the ability to conduct real-time diagnoses. The technical results on which the project is based on feedback from probe manufacturers, ultrasound technology specialists, and clinicians of varying skill levels. In addition to interviewing users and experts, the team will also conduct in-depth observations of various types of ultrasound technology in use.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.