A Surgeon diagnosed his own cancer with an iPhone

A vascular surgeon John Martin has tested a pocket-sized ultrasound device developed by Butterfly Network, a startup based in Guilford, Connecticut. The Butterfly IQ is the first solid-state ultrasound machine to reach the market in the U.S.

Ultrasound works by shooting sound into the body and capturing the echoes. Usually, the sound waves are generated by a vibrating crystal. But Butterfly’s machine instead uses 9,000 tiny drums combined on a semiconductor chip.

The Surgeon had been having an uncomfortable feeling of thickness in his throat. So he thought of using this gadget with an iPhone which is the size and shape of an electric razor, along with his neck. This combination enabled him to diagnose his cancer.

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The Butterfly iQ connects to your iPhone and looks a bit like an electric razor. Place it on the area of the body you wish to examine and a black-and-white ultrasound image will appear on your phone.

The Butterfly iQ’s portability means it could be used in ambulances or at home. The device’s creator, Butterfly Network, hopes it can incorporate artificial intelligence into the software so that even a common user will be able to use it.

The Butterfly iQ will soon be available for commercial use and will start shipping in 2018 for $1,999 which is equal to 2,00,000 rupees.