Supplement: Distribution
The electronic engineering driving the future of medical imaging
By Geoff North, business development engineer at Solsta
P
icture a surgeon performing delicate brain surgery, relying on real-time imaging that must never falter. Or an emergency responder using portable ultrasound in a remote village where the nearest hospital is hours away. These scenarios represent the new reality of medical imaging, where electronic engineers quietly work to solve problems that didn’t exist when imaging systems lived safely in hospital basements.
The engineering challenges are unlike anything in consumer electronics. How do you design systems that combine the precision of laboratory equipment with the portability of a smartphone, all while meeting medical safety standards that leave no room for error?
26 September 2025
The answer lies in a convergence of breakthrough technologies that are reshaping the very foundations of medical imaging.
Seeing the invisible
New sensor designs are pushing imaging into previously inaccessible spectral ranges. For instance, shortwave infrared operates between 900 and 1,700 nanometres, where tissue absorbs less light and scatters more. As a result, biological structures once difficult to image become clearly visible.
The commercial landscape has also shifted dramatically in recent years. Three years ago, indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) cameras were expensive and had limited performance. However, major manufacturers entering the
Components in Electronics
market like Sony drove competition and improved quality. Consequently, high- performance infrared imaging is now viable for clinical integration.
Additionally, multispectral sensors capture RGB alongside near-infrared wavelengths on the same device. Near-infrared penetrates deeper into tissue, making it particularly effective for detecting cancerous cells. Modern hyperspectral systems can now analyse 20-30 different colour channels, allowing clinicians to examine tissue layers at varying depths by adjusting light frequencies. Three-dimensional imaging offers significant diagnostic advantages over traditional methods. For example, surgeons can assess complete tumour spatial
extension rather than relying on thin slice analysis. Nevertheless, implementation challenges remain, including precise camera synchronisation for simultaneous exposure and correction of manufacturing variations across lens mounting. These issues must be carefully resolved throughout the production process to ensure reliable performance.
Intelligence at the point of care Processing medical imaging data at device level reduces latency and supports real- time clinical workflows. Edge AI enables automatic image analysis during procedures, with algorithms identifying anatomical features that human observers might miss. This capability allows for different aspects
www.cieonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
