Intelligent Ultrasound launches NeedleTrainer 2 following success of original

[source: Intelligent Ultrasound]

 ( ), a leading "classroom to clinic" ultrasound company, specialises in AI software and augmented reality simulation for the ultrasound training market, as well as AI-based clinical image analysis for the diagnostic medical ultrasound market.

Basics of NeedleTrainer

Last month we covered Intelligent Ultrasound's transformative NeedleTrainer AI technology, which incorporates proprietary trainer software to teach ultrasound-guided needling to medical professionals.

The technology is particularly useful to anaesthesiologists. Practicing needle insertion and identifying the correct location for depositing anaesthesia comes with inherent risks to human subjects. Enter NeedleTrainer, which uses a retractable mock needle and virtual image overlays to simulate needling non-invasively on a live participant, using an authentic, live ultrasound scan.

In simpler terms, NeedleTrainer provides a spring tipped mock needle which can be pressed onto the skin of a volunteer while they are being scanned with an ultrasound machine. The software then superimposes the virtual needle on to the ultrasound image, allowing the learner to practice moving both the needle and probe independently, and advancing the needle safely towards a target.

The technology enables trainees to safely develop "hand-eye coordination, optimum positioning, and accuracy in ultrasound-guided interventional procedures in a safe, realistic, clinical environment", Intelligent Ultrasound says.

In just the first 10 months since launch, NeedleTrainer has been adopted by the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), a special authority within NHS Wales, as well as University College London Hospital. HEIW's investment has allowed the rollout of a teaching programme to over 260 anaesthetic trainees across 12 hospitals in Wales. More similar contracts and programmes will likely follow, as industry specialists continue to praise NeedleTrainer, and as IUG's clients adopt smart ultrasound technology.

Enter NeedleTrainer 2

Following the success of NeedleTrainer, Intelligent Ultrasound has today announced its successor. NeedleTrainer 2 improves on the original by integrating the core technology into a high-performance pocket-size wireless ultrasound machine – GE Healthcare’s Vscan Air. This innovation, in partnership with GE, makes the technology much more accessible and mobile.

Previously, NeedleTrainer was only available to users with an existing compatible ultrasound system. Intelligent Ultrasound has now made the technology mobile by incorporating a GE Vscan Air, a wireless handheld probe. In addition to making the system portable, this removes the need to repurpose a console-based ultrasound machine for training, saving customers time and money, and making the platform available to more institutions. This is in keeping with Intelligent Ultrasound's vision to "unlock ultrasound for everyone".

Intelligent Ultrasound also offers NeedleTrainer Plus which adds a PNB trainer with the company's proprietary ScanNav AI technology. When combined with ScanNav Anatomy PNB, NeedleTrainer can deliver enhanced training. Once a practitioner is competent, they can use the standalone ScanNav Anatomy PNB device in the clinic for real-time AI assistance of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia.

View from Vox

By making NeedleTrainer portable and removing the need to use a dedicated ultrasound console, Intelligent Ultrasound has improved significantly on the utility of an already powerful training tool. The ability to put the trainer in any practitioner or trainee's pocket, and use it for training or other ultrasound function, makes the product highly scalable. Beyond the training of anaesthesiologists, there is a wide range of applications for AI-assisted anatomy recognition, augmented reality, and other related technologies that benefit greatly from portability.

In terms of AI image analysis, Intelligent Ultrasound is a pioneer in the smart imaging space, but smart ultrasound technology is already being adopted by major players in the industry e.g. GE, and the medical AI imaging field is only expected to grow. Diagnostic ultrasound imaging can benefit greatly from AI analysis and is where the bulk of impact will likely be felt.

This rollout of AI into medical imaging is a rapidly growing area of the ultrasound equipment market, expected to grow from $7.8bn this year to $12.9bn by 2028, following Covid disruption that held back growth in the last two years as medical conferences were cancelled.

As with any disruptive technology, companies that got an early start, such as Intelligent Ultrasound, are well-positioned to benefit from its future expansion. Intelligent Ultrasound is rapidly cementing its position as a leading provider of AI-based products to the ultrasound market, as demonstrated by its partnership with GE Healthcare. The company recently reported 64% higher revenues for the 6 months to 30 June. And earlier in May, it reported solid revenue growth in FY21, and an expanding AI portfolio, with both of its divisions growing 47% YoY, and an upgraded revenue forecast for FY22.

shares have also held steady this year in difficult markets, reflecting the company's comfortable funding position, and the progress it's made in developing products that continue to drive profitability. Cenkos expects sales of £10m and a reduced Ebitda loss of £2.1m in FY 2022 ahead of a ramp up of Clinical AI royalties and the rollout of new variants of the ScanNav AI platform, including solutions for the nascent home scanning market.

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