Transforming Ultrasound Access in Remote Communities

David Black, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, is transforming healthcare accessibility with his cutting-edge tele-ultrasound system. By leveraging mixed reality, this groundbreaking technology enables novice users in remote communities—with no prior ultrasound experience—to work directly with expert sonographers and radiologists, helping to address gaps in medical care.

The system integrates a mixed-reality headset to display a virtual ultrasound probe on a tablet or smartphone, allowing the novice — in some cases, the patient — to follow the guidance of an expert. On the expert’s end, a haptic device attached to a dummy ultrasound probe enables precise control of the procedure in real time.

“Other emerging teleoperation systems rely on robots to mirror the expert’s motion and, though the technology is impressive to look at, there’s a great deal of complexity and calibration that needs to happen to make it work. Robots are also very expensive,” explains Black. “By replacing the robot with a human novice and relying on lower cost technology that can perform well over a 5G cellular network, our system is much more viable in the real-world.”

Tangible Impact in Remote Communities

Recently, with the help of several Mitacs interns, Black tested the system in the town of Skidegate off the coast of British Columbia where ultrasounds were successfully performed at a distance of 750 kilometres away. So far, testing has involved simplistic scans of the abdomen. Moving forward, Black is continuing to optimize the system to handle more complex procedures, such as obstetric scans.

The goal is to offer an affordable solution that brings expert ultrasound knowledge to remote communities, patients at home, or even paramedics during emergency situations. For example, Bella Bella, a community of 1,400 people on Campbell Island, B.C., spends as much as $500,000 each year transporting patients to Vancouver by airplane to receive an ultrasound — a process that turns a one-hour appointment into a three-day excursion, according to Black.

“That’s where we aim to come in and divert some of those appointments to a local community centre, medical centre or even to their home,” he adds.

Partnering with Mitacs to Improve Healthcare Access

With Mitacs’s support, researchers like David Black are turning innovative ideas into practical solutions to tackle pressing healthcare challenges.

Inspired by his personal experiences with remote medical emergencies, Black focuses his research on creating technologies that make expert care more accessible. He credits Mitacs with helping him advance his work:

“Mitacs accelerated our technology to the testing stage and enabled our partnership with Rogers Communications. Collaborating with Rogers has been invaluable as they share their communications infrastructure knowledge and help forge meaningful connections with other partners in the community and government.”

In 2024, Black’s game-changing work earned him the Mitacs Innovation Award — Outstanding Innovation. This recognition showcases the potential of his work to transform healthcare delivery in remote areas.

“Winning this award is really exciting, it motivates you to keep trying and make a difference,” he concludes.

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca.