Compact modular open platform for low-cost ultrasound imaging: Realisation and measurements in biological settings

Ultrasound Open-Platforms (OPs) offer the flexibility required for developing novel ultrasound techniques but are generally bulky and expensive, impeding deployment in primary care and low-resource settings. This paper introduces a modular OP to address these challenges by enabling trade-offs in size and cost to meet performance targets. Comprising five modules, the proposed OP integrates a digital back-end controller tailored for ultrasound imaging. Key features of the OP include generating arbitrary waveforms with a 20-MHz maximum frequency and ±100 V amplitude, precise delays with a 200-ps maximum error, programmable gain (12-dB to 51-dB), and a 12-bit ADC with a conversion rate of 100-MSPS. The OP modular structure enables performance scalability through extension modules. In-vivo experiments, including imaging E12 mouse embryos and rabbit aorta, demonstrate that the OP yields high-quality images and enables the detection of anatomical structures in small animals at a fraction of the cost and size of commercially available OPs. © 2024 The Authors