Medical diagnostics: Visual/aural techniques: High-resolution scanning systems, a retinal camera, and a cardiac-output earpiece show promise

One of the most active areas of biomedical engineering is ultrasonic diagnosis. In Japan, as in other parts of the world, developments in ultrasonic diagnostic equipment are fast paced. Interest in the technique is great because it is noninvasive, unlike many competing techniques, and because the potential for early diagnosis of certain body malfunctions is high. To a large degree, this potential for accurate “reading” of ultrasonic diagnostic displays depends upon high resolution of the equipment as well as on the skill of the “reader.”