Recently, smartphones are beginning to be used in medicine. They can already detect skin cancer and detect concussions. The enormous power of these small handheld computers allows engineers to develop a variety of portable process devices replacing their old bulky counterparts. One of such innovations was Butterfly iQ - a small ultrasonic device that displays a black and white image directly on the screen of the smartphone.
 
Technologies of ultrasonic research devices have been developing rapidly recently, which allows to reduce both their sizes and costs. However, until now, ultrasound machines are worth a lot of money. The best models that create high-resolution images can be sold at prices above $ 100,000. Philips, one of the leaders in the market of medical ultrasound devices, recently released a small portable scanner worth about 6,000 dollars.
 
Butterfly iQ will shake this market even more. The cost of the new device will be less than 2000 dollars. This price makes the portable scanner accessible not only for medical institutions, but also for individual doctors. Thus, Butterfly iQ can become another device included in the diagnostic toolkit of each doctor.
 
The device is approved for 13 different clinical applications, covering the entire body, from abdominal and gynecological applications to cardiac or urological studies. However, while the device is available only for licensed health practitioners.
 
John Martin, a vascular surgeon, tested Butterfly iQ earlier this year and unexpectedly discovered cancer on his own neck.