Fujifilm SonoSite brings in Allen Institute’s AI2 Incubator

Portable ultrasound maker Fujifilm SonoSite has turned to the nonprofit Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s AI2 Incubator for help harnessing AI’s image-interpretation potential.

Announcing the collaboration Sept. 18, Fujifilm SonoSite said the AI2 Incubator’s involvement will help the company develop new ultrasound applications while improving diagnostic accuracy in existing ones.

For its part, the Allen Institute sees in the partnership a way to bring affordable ultrasound to underserved markets around the world.

“In tackling this challenge, we are pushing deep learning, computer vision and medical imaging into uncharted territory,” said Dr. Vu Ha, technical director at the AI2 Incubator.

Rich Fabian, president and COO of Fujifilm SonoSite, said the AI2 Incubator has “the type of talent that is hard to recruit, combined with the ambition of a startup.”

The development follows the summer launch of a partnership between Seattle-based Fujifilm SonoSite and the Partners healthcare system in Boston. The two are working on ways to embed AI in portable ultrasound devices such that sonogram findings can be automatically computed at the site of the scan.

Dave Pearson

Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.

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