Almost like in the movie "Fantastic Journey"
A tiny chip has been developed that allows you to get 3-D images
in real time from inside the heart and blood vessels
DailyTechInfo by materials Phys.org : Single chip device to provide real-time 3-D images from inside the heart, blood vesselsResearchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a microscopic electronic device that ensures the production of high-quality three-dimensional images of everything that is inside the heart and blood vessels of the human circulatory system.
Three-dimensional images obtained in real time will allow surgeons performing heart operations to act faster and more confidently, clean the internal surfaces of blood vessels without the need for surgical intervention and perform a number of other subtle actions that require high accuracy and speed of work of medical personnel.
The device consists of a matrix of tiny ultrasonic micro devices, which, together with processing electronics, are packaged on a silicon chip measuring 1.4 millimeters. The presence of preprocessing circuits allows signals received from more than a hundred elements to be transmitted through 13 microconductors connecting the chip to the central device. The small dimensions of the device and the thickness of the connecting microconductors allow the entire structure to be freely inserted into the heart and relatively thick blood vessels, which provides a better and more detailed image that carries more useful information than traditional transverse ultrascopy.
The prototype chip can provide image transmission at a frequency of 60 frames per second. This speed was made possible thanks to the use of capacitive micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer, CMUT). These transducers are divided into two functional groups, 56 transducers act as ultrasound sources, and 48 - as receivers. The built-in signal processing system will allow using converters formed in the form of two concentric rings to implement two different shooting technologies.
The electronic system also implements energy-saving functions, disabling currently unnecessary emitters and sensors. On average, a device operating at a frequency of 20 MHz consumes 20 milliwatts of energy, which reduces the amount of heat released inside the human circulatory system.
Currently, a prototype of a scanner chip is undergoing an animal testing program, but, ultimately, the relevant authorities will be authorized to use this technology and a company will be organized that will produce such chips, together with central devices and the corresponding software. In the meantime, researchers are working on miniaturizing the device, which will allow it to be moved inside the heart and blood vessels using a metal wire with a diameter of only 400 microns.
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