On June 18, famous for its AI image generationMidjourneyA surprise launch event was held in San Francisco - CEO David Holz officially launchedMidjourney Scanner, an ultrasound device that can complete a full-body 3D scan in 60 seconds. This means that this “AI painting company” has officially crossed over into the medical and health field and established a new sub-brand.Midjourney Medical。
From AI images to medical hardware: the most unexpected crossover
MidjourneySince its launch in 2022, it has been deeply involved in the field of AI image generation, andStable Diffusion, DALL·E are also known as the three major AI drawing tools. Who would have thought that this company's first hardware product was not a professional drawing tablet, but aWhole body ultrasound scanner.
According to Bloomberg, Holz claimed at the press conference that "no one has ever built a device like this before" and emphasized that the technology is superior to traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in multiple dimensions.Midjourney Scanner uses an underwater ultrasonic sensor array - the user enters a shallow pool and passes through a ring of ultrasonic sensors, approximately60 secondsYou can obtain full-body 3D images with sub-millimeter accuracy.
Core technology: 500,000 miniature ultrasonic sensors
Different from the strong magnetic field and radiation risks of traditional MRI,Midjourney Scanner adoptsRadiation-free ultrasound technology. About 500,000 micro-ultrasound sensors are integrated inside the device, which conducts ultrasonic waves through the underwater medium to generate a complete 3D model of the inside of the human body. This technical route can theoretically achieve an experience similar to "walk-in CT" while completely avoiding ionizing radiation.
For users, this means that the physical examination may change from the long process of "making an appointment - queuing - taking a photo - waiting for the report" to a convenient experience of "walking in - standing for a minute - getting the results". Of course, this is still just the prototype demonstration stage.
Business Roadmap: From Spa to 50,000 units worldwide
MidjourneyThe business plan is quite radical. The company announced that it willThe first “health spa” will be opened in San Francisco in 2027, packaging the scanning experience into a high-end health management service. The longer term goals are:Deploy 50,000 scanners globally by 2031.
This number is quite astonishing in the medical device industry. For comparison, global annual shipments of MRI equipment are approximately 5,000 units, with a cumulative installed capacity of approximately 65,000 units.MidjourneyTo reach a deployment scale close to the global MRI population within 5 years is a huge challenge.
Challenges and Doubts: How far can AI companies’ hardware dreams go?
The difficulty of cross-border medical hardware cannot be underestimated. first isregulatory barriers——Medical equipment needs to pass strict certifications such as FDA (United States), CE (Europe), and NMPA (China), and the cycle is usually calculated in years. followed byTechnical verification——Although ultrasound imaging performs well in areas such as pregnancy examinations, the clinical accuracy of whole-body deep tissue imaging still needs to be verified on a large scale. finallybusiness model——Moving from a monthly subscription SaaS model to hardware manufacturing and health services requires completely different supply chain, after-sales and operational capabilities.
Summary: A landmark event in the melting of the boundaries of AI companies
MidjourneyThe medical crossover is essentially the same as OpenAI doing search and Google doing chip.AI company boundaries are disappearingAnother example of. When an AI imaging tool company announces that it will make medical equipment, the "moat" of any industry may be redefined in the AI era. Is this a short-lived conceptual hype or a real breakthrough in AI+ medical care? The first spa in 2027 will give a preliminary answer.
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