Development of a low cost ultrasonic imaging system

This project will develop a low cost, high-frequency ultrasonic scanner that will provide two dimensional images of small animals. The system is targeted at the academic researchers and small biotechnology firms that use small animals for basic science research or testing of therapeutics. A novel scanning mechanism, currently at prototype stage will be developed and integrated into a full imaging system by the applicant.

The key challenges faced by the applicant in this research are the creation of a hermetically sealed, ergonomic and acoustically transparent housing. The applicant will also conduct fatigue and aging testing of the system and will undertake experiments to determine the tradeoff between the mass of the imaging transducer used in the system and the system’s frame rate. Once the new scanner is incorporated into the system the applicant will participate in further system-level testing to determine overall system capabilities, reliability and robustness.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Geoff Maksym

Student:

Andre Bezanson

Partner:

Daxsonics Ultrasound Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Dalhousie University