Skip to main content

A doctor used this iPhone ultrasound machine to diagnose his own cancer

A doctor used this iPhone ultrasound machine to diagnose his own cancer
Butterfly Network Butterfly Network
Vascular surgeon John Martin was feeling some discomfort in his throat. So he decided to investigate the problem by testing out a pocket-sized ultrasound device, created by the Connecticut-based Butterfly Network, where he is chief medical officer. According to MIT Technology Review, when he used the Butterfly iQ, a hand-held imaging machine for ultrasounds that is compatible with the iPhone, he discovered squamous-cell cancer after running the probe across his neck.

This pocket-sized device is the first solid-state ultrasound machine to reach the market in America. Because the device is made in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, the tech is more versatile and less expensive. The device uses capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs), which are very small ultrasonic emitters placed on a semiconductor chip.

“Now we think it’s an individual purchase,” Martin said. “This gives you the ability to do everything at the bedside: you can pull it out of your pocket and scan the whole body.”

The average price for ultrasound systems is around $115,000, with the low-end systems costing about $25,000. The Butterfly iQ device will sell for less than $2,000. The main reason it is so much cheaper than a regular ultrasound system is because a majority of the tech involved is housed within a microchip. The Butterfly Network says it will be going on sale this year for $1,999, and begin shipping them out early next year.

Martin believes that in the future, the device can take on other forms like a patch that patients could take home with them.

“To look at this as just an ultrasound device is like looking at an iPhone and saying it’s just a phone,” Martin says. “If you have a window into the body where anyone can afford it, everyone can use it, and everyone can interpret it, it becomes a heck of a lot more than an ultrasound device.”

Entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, who adapts semiconductor technology to biology, first formed the Butterfly Network back in 2011. In the span of eight years, Rothberg was able to take the idea for the ultrasound device from concept to market. The company has already raised more than $100 million so far.

The Butterfly iQ is just the latest new tech being created to help diagnose forms of cancer, especially those that involve the use of an iPhone.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Jordan
Stephen is a freelance writer and blogger, as well as an aspiring screenwriter. Working in front of a computer and digesting…
Do iPhone 14 cases fit the iPhone 15? There’s an interesting answer
Speck Presido2 cases for the iPhone 15.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 series have identical display sizes, but there are slight variations in their total dimensions due to design changes. This has led to a common question of whether the cases designed for iPhone 14 would fit the iPhone 15 models. The answer to this question is not straightforward and depends on whether you are looking for a perfect or a reasonable fit.

The iPhone 15 series consists of four models, just like the iPhone 14 series. These are the 6.1-inch iPhone 15, 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus, 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max. The prices of the iPhone 15 series are the same as the previous models, and they come with several improvements. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are made of titanium, while the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have stainless steel bodies. Additionally, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now have the Dynamic Island for the first time.

Read more
I’m going to do something crazy with my iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro USB-C charging port.

I’m going to make a controversial suggestion: Don’t put your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case — use it naked instead.

I know it’ll go against everything we’ve learned about smartphones (usually the hard way) and how to protect them, but there are some really fascinating changes to Apple’s top smartphones this year, and not feeling them with your own hands would be a crime.
Titanium really is a big deal

Read more
I’ve been using iOS 17 for months. These 4 new things are the best
Spotlight on iOS 17.

Spotlight on iOS 17 Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

The rollout of iOS 17 is official, and it freshens the software experience on iPhones dating as far back as the iPhone XR. I’ve been testing it on my iPhone 14 Pro ever since the first public beta rolled out, at the peril of unreliable battery life and random stutters all across the board.

Read more