Device produces ultrasound images via cellphone

Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a USB-based ultrasound probe that can connect to a smartphone and create a low-cost ultrasound imaging platform. Once connected to a smartphone, the probe acts like any other ultrasound device, serving as an imaging tool for screenings and biopsies. In the developing world, where there is a shortage of trained medical personnel, the system can help field workers transmit data to specialists in a centralized location, said William D. Richard, one of the project's lead researchers.