Samsung Debuts New OB-GYN Imaging Equipment at Medica

Samsung Electronics is going after the medical device market with the same zeal with which it approaches its consumer electronics business. In 2010, when the South Korean company bought Medison Co., an established South Korean maker of ultrasound equipment, as well as Prosonic, a manufacturer of transducer probes and cables, the company clearly signaled its intention to be as big a player in medical imaging and diagnostics as it is in flat-screen television technology.

In fact, the company’s CEO declared at the time that more than $1 billion would be spent by 2020 to develop the medical technology business. It is a bold move, putting it in competition with industry powerhouses such as GE Healthcare, Siemens, Philips and Toshiba.

During the Medica trade fair, held last week in Dusseldorf, Germany, Samsung highlighted its line of medical imaging imaging equipment, and made a key product launch: the introduction of the SonoAce UGEO H60 ultrasound device for OB-GYN practices. SonoAce is the ultrasound product line that Samsung purchased when it bought Medison. The most recent addition joins other devices in the SonoAce line, along with other lines specific to OB-GYN and other general and veterinary imaging devices.

According to the company, the mid-range ultrasound device features the only LED screen on an ultrasound platform that delivers a B-mode (brightness and registration) quality enabling a flat screen to match the contrast quality associated with old-line analog monitors. With true black and true white renderings, the 18.5 inch screen also surpasses the 4:3 format with a 16:9 aspect ratio that allows for the display of supplemental images and information. The same high quality B-mode image is maintained on the monitor when a clinician switches to Doppler view, which the company claims is a distinguishing feature for the SonoAce H60.

And, building on the company’s expertise in mobile communications technology, the SonoAce UGEO H60 can connect with Samsung smart phones and tablets. For example, pregnant women can share ultrasound images of their child with friends and family The app is called Mommy Note, enabling expecting mothers to share images of the unborn child.

Samsung plans another market introduction of the the SonoAce UGEO H60–along with its other medical technology–at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25-30.