美國華盛頓大學研究人員現(xiàn)在研發(fā)了一種特殊的移動醫(yī)療成像儀,細心的讀者在看到它的外形后就會立刻識出它的廬山真面目,這臺成像儀就是一臺使用Windows Mobile操作系統(tǒng)的智能手機。
由于智能手機的電力和空間要求,所以它的應用范圍還是比較有限的,肯定不能與其他磁共振成像儀相提并論。但是對于經(jīng)常出診的醫(yī)生來說,或許會喜歡上這個能隨身攜帶的小智能設備。
Researcher William D. Richard (left) takes an ultrasound probe of his colleague David Zar's carotid artery. The pair designed the probe, which w
orks on Windowssmart phones over USB. (Source: Washington University)
The program on the phone is capable of creating medical quality images and resolving detail as fine as individual arteries. And best of all, the cost is under $2,000. (Source: Washington University)
From the size of a cabinet, the electronics for the scanner were shrunk over the years to a 1x3 inch circuit board which uses only the power provided by a USB connector. (Source: Washington University)
據(jù)悉微軟為這個項目捐了10萬美元,但卻不希望這些研究人員把這項技術應用到消費市場。這項技術將主要提供給發(fā)展中國家,供那些無法購買昂貴診斷設備的小診所使用。目前華盛頓大學正尋求麻省理工學院共同合作,準備在一些第三世界國家進行實地測試。