<p> Soon doctors may get a more penetrating look at their patients. </p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><p>George Stetten, a bioengineer at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, has created a portable ultrasound device that can be pointed at any part of the body to reveal what's going on under the skin. Like conventional ultrasound machines, the sonic flashlight constructs an image of internal anatomy by beaming high-frequency sound waves at the body and mapping how the waves bounce back. But Stetten found a way to dispense with the cumbersome computer displays. His wandlike device reflects the three-dimensional ultrasound image off a thin, translucent mirror, as shown above, and could be especially useful for helping doctors perform precise biopsies. Stetten, a former medical student, envisions a pocket-size sonic flashlight to make it easier for doctors to draw blood or master difficult injections. "I was always interested in finding a better way to stick needles in people," Stetten says. </p><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18868/rd_looking-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18868/rd_looking-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/18868/rd_looking-s.jpg" title="rd_looking.jpg" loading="lazy" data-id="18868"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption"></p></figcaption></figure><p>Photograph courtesy of George Stetten/The Robotics Institute, CMU</p><div data-embedid="cade7ffa-0563-48de-839f-f84e596c0b94" id="insticator-embed-temp"></div>

March 2002

The March 2002 issue of Discover Magazine

Can We Find Another Earth?

Discover how the portable ultrasound device enhances precision in medical imaging and makes biopsies easier for doctors.

Technology

I'm Looking Through You

Article

News

Solana Pyne

Science

Soon doctors may get a more penetrating look at their patients. George Stetten, a bioengineer at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, has created a portable ultrasound device that can be pointed at any part of the body to reveal what's going on under the skin. Like conventional ultrasound machines, the sonic flashlight constructs an image of internal anatomy by beaming high-frequency sound waves at the body and mapping how the waves bounce back. But Stetten found a way to dispense with the cumbersome computer displays. His wandlike device reflects the three-dimensional ultrasound image off a thin, translucent mirror, as shown above, and could be especially useful for helping doctors perform precise biopsies. Stetten, a former medical student, envisions a pocket-size sonic flashlight to make it easier for doctors to draw blood or master difficult injections. "I was always interested in finding a better way to stick needles in people," Stetten says. Photograph courtesy of George Stetten/The Robotics Institute, CMU

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

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