In our next paper of the series, we focus on the artificial intelligence (AI) that we develop for our scanners. To obtain the best possible image, optimize workflows, and provide new features not found on any other ultrasound system, we’ve worked hard to bring AI into real-time.

AI plays a pivotal role in making ultrasound ‘plunkable,’ which is the ability for anyone to obtain a good image on first try. The automated gain algorithms analyze each ultrasound image in real-time and tune a multi-point time-gain-compensation (TGC) curve to make the adjustments.

Needle enhancement also benefits from AI through the ability to detect which side of the scanner the needle is entering from, as well as the angle that it enters the tissue. By determining these parameters, the system can automatically pick the best scanning plane to track and highlight the needle in real-time, as if someone were dialing a manual steering angle button on a more traditional device.

Additional topics in the paper are:

• Calculating heart rate using AI, where beats-per-minute can be obtained simply by analyzing the default greyscale image
• Managing power with AI, where automated usage detection parameters are determined from a variety of sensors to help preserve battery life when necessary

AI allows the Clarius scanners to not only provide novel features that no other ultrasound device has, but also to help optimize the user experience,” says Reza Zahiri, Director of Innovation. “There are literally hundreds of parameters that an ultrasound system uses to achieve the best image possible as well as run the real-time systems. It’s like no other medical imaging modality because of the real-time aspect, and to get new users comfortable with ultrasound, we focus on taking much of the burden off the user through using AI.”

We realize the potential that AI provides, especially for solving complex problems within a real-time modality like ultrasound,” says Laurent Pelissier, CEO. “I believe at Clarius, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to AI. Our engineers and scientists consistently make breakthrough discoveries when pushing the limits of our devices and platforms, and I believe we’ll soon be poised to become one of the AI leaders within the medical imaging community.”

We currently use these technologies on all our released scanner models. The Clarius App can be downloaded on iOS and Android mobile devices.

Read the full paper: Current Approaches to Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging

In the works is also Clarius AI, a collective intelligence ultrasound platform that focuses on data and image quality, ease of data collection, and a collaborative platform for both physicians and researchers to label and augment acquired images.