MicroCD SonoMap™

Research concept — in development

See tissue direction, not just tissue structure.

A compact, phone-connected ultrasound research platform concept exploring how multi-angle acquisition, probe sensing, and computational reconstruction could reveal directional tissue architecture.

Explore a research collaboration View development plan

Research concept only. Not for diagnosis, treatment, patient monitoring, or clinical decision-making. No regulatory clearance, clinical validation, or performance specification has been established.

Concept rendering of a generic phone-connected ultrasound probe and external electronics module displaying a grayscale research image with directional vectors — Concept rendering. Hardware form, interface, and imaging output are exploratory and not representative of a validated device.

Research question

Can a compact ultrasound workflow capture directional tissue information more consistently?

Conventional B-mode ultrasound is useful for visualizing structure, but tissue orientation can change with probe angle and may require manual interpretation. SonoMap is being framed around controlled multi-angle acquisition, position and force sensing, and reproducible computational analysis.

The intended output is a research map of orientation-sensitive image features, not MRI-equivalent tractography and not a diagnostic conclusion.

Proposed workflow

From acquisition to a directional research map

Each stage is designed to preserve acquisition context so researchers can inspect how the result was produced.

01
Acquire
Capture conventional ultrasound frames or raw channel data across defined probe angles.
02
Sense
Record probe orientation, motion, and applied force to support repeatable acquisition.
03
Reconstruct
Register the sequence and estimate orientation-sensitive texture, backscatter, or flow features.
04
Review
Display maps, confidence indicators, acquisition metadata, and research-ready exports.

Potential research modes

One acquisition platform, several testable directions

Modes will be prioritized by bench evidence, data quality, and partner need rather than presented as finished capabilities.

Directional tissue mapping

Estimate dominant orientation and regional coherence from multi-angle image sequences.

Ultrasound fibre-orientation imaging

Explore repeatable measures of aligned structures in phantoms and ex vivo samples.

Tissue anisotropy mapping

Quantify angle-dependent changes in backscatter or related image features.

Microvascular flow visualisation

Investigate advanced flow workflows where suitable acquisition hardware and research protocols are available.

Motion-compensated reconstruction

Use tracked movement and image registration to reduce inconsistencies across a sweep.

Research-use export

Preserve image series, sensor data, parameters, maps, and confidence measures for downstream analysis.

System architecture

Portable at the interface, rigorous in the data path

The phone is envisioned as the control and review interface; ultrasound acquisition remains in dedicated external electronics.

ProbeLinear array and controlled multi-angle sweep

Acquisition moduleTransmit, receive, digitize, and synchronize sensors

Phone interfaceGuided capture, quality checks, and map review

Research exportFrames, metadata, maps, and analysis parameters

Development plan

Evidence before product claims

The first milestone is a reproducible research workflow, not a clinical product.

1. FeasibilityDefine target tissue model, acquisition geometry, output metric, and success criteria.
2. Bench prototypeIntegrate a conventional array, research acquisition electronics, probe tracking, and force sensing.
3. Phantom studiesTest known fibre orientations and controlled motion against independent reference measurements.
4. Ex vivo evaluationAssess repeatability, failure modes, and algorithm sensitivity in non-clinical tissue studies.
5. Research platform decisionUse the evidence to define scope, collaborators, and any later regulatory pathway.

Research applications

Built around measurable experiments

Aligned-fibre phantom studies
Musculoskeletal architecture research
Engineered tissue and biomaterial characterization
Organ-on-chip and 3D tissue model imaging research
Probe-position and acquisition-repeatability studies
Research algorithm and reconstruction benchmarking

Research basis

A concept informed by established and emerging ultrasound methods

Published work has demonstrated automated estimation of muscle-fibre orientation in ultrasound images and has shown that transducer orientation affects fascicle measurements. Zhou & Zheng, 2008; Bolsterlee et al., 2016.

Backscatter tensor imaging research has also examined fibre direction through angle-dependent ultrasonic speckle coherence in anisotropic tissue. Papadacci et al., 2014.

Ultrasound localization microscopy is an emerging research method for microvascular visualization, but it has distinct acquisition requirements and remains separate from SonoMap's initial direction-mapping scope. Dencks & Schmitz, 2023.

These references inform the research direction. They do not validate MicroCD SonoMap or establish its performance.

Why MicroCD Labs

A systems approach to research hardware

Instrument and workflow designTranslate an imaging hypothesis into a practical acquisition sequence, interface, and experimental plan.

Mechanical integrationCoordinate probe fixtures, sensor integration, electronics packaging, and prototype fabrication.

Data and verification planningDefine traceable datasets, comparison methods, acceptance criteria, and documented failure modes.

Research collaboration

Help define the first useful experiment.

We welcome conversations with ultrasound researchers, tissue-engineering teams, signal-processing specialists, transducer and electronics developers, and organizations evaluating research imaging workflows.

Please keep this initial message non-confidential. Do not include patient information, protected health information, unpublished data, or proprietary design details.