First laser ultrasound images of humans produced

via SlashGear

MIT has devised a new method and produced the first images of humans using a laser ultrasound. The new technique doesn’t require contact with the body to see inside the patient. The technique uses an eye and skin safe laser system. One laser in the system remotely generates sound waves that bounce through the body. The second laser remotely detects the reflected waves, and those are turned into an image similar to conventional ultrasound.

In testing, the researchers scanned the forearms of several volunteers and were able to observe tissue features like muscle, fat, and bone down to about 6cm in depth below the skin. The images were comparable to conventional ultrasound and were produced using remote lasers focused on the volunteer from half a meter away.

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