The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has introduced a detachable acoustic lens that enhances ultrasound imaging by allowing precise focus adjustments. Traditional ultrasound transducers have fixed focal lengths, requiring multiple devices for different imaging tasks. This new lens design enables users to modify the focal distance without replacing equipment, improving resolution and reducing costs.
The detachable lens features an aspheric shape, which minimizes spherical aberration and enhances image clarity. Unlike conventional spherical lenses that cause blurring at the edges, the KRISS-developed lens provides sharper focus and higher resolution. The team also designed a foldable version, allowing flexible size adjustments to match different transducers. When tested on a C-scan ultrasound imaging system, the lens improved resolution by 1.5 times, successfully visualizing structures as small as 25 micrometers.
This innovation is expected to benefit both medical diagnostics and industrial safety inspections, particularly in applications such as cancer detection and aircraft component analysis. The research was published in Measurement Science and Technology, highlighting its potential to revolutionize ultrasound imaging.
Abstract from Measurement Science and Technology: Comprehensive evaluation of lens and planar circular ultrasonic transducer combinations to enhance C-scan imaging: a phantom study at 10 and 15 MHz
