Butterfly iQ, a Whole Body Ultrasound That Fits in a Pocket

Butterfly Network, a firm based in Guilford, Connecticut, won FDA clearance and is introducing its Butterfly iQ portable ultrasound system. It consists of a portable transducer that connects directly to an iPhone, and an iOS app to display the images and to control settings.

The device actually works as three different transducers thanks to an ultra wide band matrix array. This allows a clinician to perform a bunch of different scans and for the Butterfly iQ to be applicable in different clinical settings. The matrix array of microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensors is directly integrated onto an integrated circuit that contains all the necessary electronics. This tight integration supposedly results in a fast, high-resolution device that can perform tasks that only full size ultrasound machines were capable just a few short years ago. The firm compares its technology to how photo camera sensors have been integrated within smartphones, enabling anyone to have high quality photo imaging in their pocket.

Perhaps the biggest deal with the Butterfly iQ is that it costs under $2,000. Previous portable, hand-held ultrasounds have often been priced at more than $10,000.