Partnership will pair Medtronic vital-sign monitoring with Sonus’s ultrasound AI platform in field studies, funded by the Gates Foundation

Sonus’s ultrasound AI platform will power a point-of-care test that enables frontline clinicians to better assess placental health and flag pregnancies at risk of fetal hypoxia.

Sonus Microsystems was recently named the “Best Overall Mobile Health Hardware Solution” in the 10th Annual MedTech Breakthrough Awards.

From the Curie brothers’ discovery of the piezoelectric effect in 1880, to the introduction of AI-guided diagnostic software, ultrasound has earned the reputation of a well-established workhorse in today’s healthcare. And all signs point to a paradigm shift as AI agents and algorithms enhance ultrasound access, automation and accuracy.

Ultrasound represents one of the most dramatic advancements in modern day medical diagnostics. With roughly 60 million ultrasound scans performed in the US annually, its importance is obvious and technological advances have been significant and consistent. From the introduction of grey scale B-mode imaging in the early 70s, to Doppler 3D/4D scans, ultrasound now represents an invaluable tool in obstetrics, cardiology, emergency medicine and beyond.

We recently spoke with a leading cardiologist specializing in echocardiography and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), whose clinical work focuses on caring for adults with this complex genetic heart condition and whose research focuses on advancing risk prediction and early diagnosis through advanced imaging and computational analysis.

Ultrasound remains one of the most widely used imaging modalities in medicine. It’s real-time, radiation-free, and comparatively cost-effective. Yet as clinical expectations rise, innovation pressure across the entire ultrasound stack, from software to sensors, has been squeezed as well.

Interview with Dr. Sonny Bhalla, Medical Director, Kinetix Medicine