On 13–17 July 2022, the European Congress of Radiology (ECR 2022), the second-largest radiology meeting in the world, was held at the Austria Center, Vienna.
Over the five-day congress, 235 exhibitors from 31 countries showcased state-of-the-art medical devices and cutting-edge research. The meeting was highly significant for presenting the latest developments in radiology and addressing global healthcare needs.
MGI imabot, a subsidiary of MGI, presented its advanced robotic ultrasound system, MGIUS-R3, at ECR 2022, highlighting China’s progress in telemedicine technology on the international stage.
Modernising Telemedicine to Meet Healthcare Needs
With the growing adoption of advanced medical technologies worldwide, telemedicine innovation has become a key topic in global healthcare. Remote clinical services in China, although starting later, have expanded rapidly amid COVID-19 as the country tackles challenges in providing medical resources to remote regions. A telemedicine landscape is now taking shape in China.
On the first day of the congress, the robotic ultrasound system attracted attention from manufacturers and experts for its wide application potential. As a major MGI healthcare project, this remote robotic ultrasound system is the world’s first ultrasonic device with multiple sensitive probes on a robotic arm, allowing sonographers to conduct remote real-time patient diagnosis. It leads China’s independent research and development in ultrasound equipment.
Independent R&D and MGI’s Proprietary Core Technologies
The system combines robotics, real-time remote control, ultrasound imaging, and patient-centric design to advance telemedicine applications. Equipped with a six-axis collaborative robotic arm, it reproduces an expert’s scanning technique remotely. A profiling probe captures 3D motion postures and synchronizes them on the robotic arm.
MGI imabot has also developed a flexible interactive algorithm, enabling the probe to adjust scanning route and intensity based on a patient’s body curve, ensuring optimal comfort and examination quality.
Creating Innovative Applications and Exploring Breakthroughs
The system’s performance in 5G remote screening and diagnosis has been widely recognised nationally and internationally. It supports 5G medical alliances and smart healthcare projects, including large-scale early screening, outbreak prevention, and reducing infection risk. Its technical advantages enable interconnection of hospital resources and extend high-quality care to more regions, fostering a robust national diagnosis and treatment network.
The debut of MGIUS-R3 at ECR 2022 not only demonstrated the global potential of remote ultrasound technology, but also showcased China’s advances in telemedicine innovation. MGI will continue to pursue breakthroughs in ultrasound imaging, optimise equipment, reshape telemedicine through remote ultrasound, and improve the distribution of medical resources.
