Medical Related
Butterfly Network
Low-Cost Imaging Technology for Patient Diagnostics
Medical Related
Butterfly Network
Low-Cost Imaging Technology for Patient Diagnostics
468
Patent References to IEEE
$1.25B
Business Valuation
468
Patent References to IEEE
$1.25B
Business Valuation
Butterfly’s technology, which it calls an “ultrasound-on-chip,” is designed to perform diagnostic imaging and measurement of blood vessels and examine the cardiac, abdominal, urological, fetal, gynecological, and musculoskeletal systems.24
It consists of an ultrasound scanner using its semiconductor chip and connects to a smartphone to view the image.
The device retails for $2,000, with an additional monthly subscription fee for the associated software that ranges from $35 to $100. This means significant savings when compared to traditional ultrasound machines that cost between $15,000 and $100,000.
“Butterfly’s ultrasound-on-a-chip technology enables a low-cost window into the human body, making high-quality diagnostic imaging accessible to anyone,” founder Dr. Jonathan Rothberg said in a statement. “The device would be especially useful in developing countries without access to existing ultrasound technology.”
Recently Butterfly’s device has made the news as a tool for fighting the COVID-19 virus in areas with limited imaging capability. The portable ultrasound can be used to potentially diagnose the virus by looking for anomalies in the lower region of a patient's lung.25
In 2018 Butterfly raised a $250 million Series D financing round that increased its total funding to more than $350 million and placed a valuation on the firm at $1.25 billion.
The patents analyzed in this study are those most likely related to the key innovation—“ultrasound-on-chip”. They are not only highly cited, but they heavily reference IEEE science as prior art. On average each patent references IEEE about 20 times (468 total for 23 patents).
Frequently Referenced IEEE Publications
The Butterfly Network patents frequently reference influential articles from the below IEEE publications.
24 Truong, Kevin. (2018) "Say hello to Butterfly Network, digital health’s newest unicorn," MedCity News, Sep 27, 2018. https://medcitynews.com/2018/09/say-hello-to-butterfly-network-digital-healths-newest-unicorn/?rf=1 Last accessed June 15, 2020 25 Grech, Matt. (2020) "Stopping the Spread of COVID-19 with Portable Ultrasound," Smartling.com. https://www.smartling.com/resources/101/butterfly-network-covid19/ Last accessed June 15, 2020.