Cellphone Ultrasound Project [Video]

What you see here, plus a woman, could revolutionize pregnancy healthcare.  A team at Washington University in St. Louis have developed software [pdf link] that can run on a Windows Mobile smartphone and display ultrasound data from a USB probe, rather than requiring a large, expensive piece of hospital-bound equipment.Video demo after the cut

The project was developed using funding from Microsoft, and promises low-cost portable ultrasound access for medical care in non-traditional settings.  The software for the USB ultrasound probe is open-source, and they're currently working on trying to bring the device down to under $400.

Of course, just as digital cameras have made it easier for annoying photographers to snap your photo and then attempt to sell it to you as a "reminder of your day", there's every chance this technology could fall into the wrong hands.  Stand clear for drive-by ultrasound attacks, as pregnant women are accosted by rogue clinicians, illicitly scanned, and then offered expensive snapshots of their beloved fetus.

[via Hacked Gadgets]