Butterfly Network, a company out of Guilford, Connecticut, is releasing a new generation of its popular mobile ultrasound device. The new Butterfly iQ+ features better imaging capabilities, improved ergonomics, and longer battery life. Clinicians can utilize the portable, handheld ultrasound in a variety of situations and clinical fields to image the heart, lungs, bladder, and other organs and tissues. It even has Needle Viz technology that aids with imaging a needle during in-plane guided procedures. The entire ultrasound is the size of a conventional transducer and it relies on a smartphone for the controls and to display the images generated. This is thanks to the company’s “Ultrasound-on-Chip” technology that produces little noise while using a small amount of electricity. A new field programmable gate array that also eats little energy helps to keep the battery functioning longer. Overall, Butterfly Networks promises a 20% greater battery life and the new ultrasound can even function twice as long as the previous generation when used in certain presets. To improve the image, the Butterfly iQ+ uses digital micro-beam forming right on the chip to improve frame rates by 15% and achieve a 60% higher frequency of pulse repetition. The entire probe is 10% shorter and its probe head is 15% smaller than the previous generation Butterfly iQ. Since it’s expected to be used throughout the day by clinicians visiting multiple patients, as well as in the field, the new device has been tested to MIL-STD-810G, faring well after 4 foot drops and experiencing 100G shock pulses. It is also rated at IP67 for resilience against dust and water. “Two years ago, Butterfly introduced the world’s first handheld, single-probe, whole-body ultrasound system. Since then, the device has been used by tens of thousands of medical professionals across the globe with significant clinical, economic and societal impact,” said Laurent Faracci, Butterfly Network’s Chief Executive Officer, in the announcement. “We have collaborated with the Butterfly community of users to define our innovation path. The first result in that journey is the new Butterfly iQ+, a big step forward for point-of-care ultrasound, with our most advanced chip ever and a number of amazing innovations and improvements that our talented team and partners developed.” Source
