Connected Imaging Instrument

Medical imaging systems rely almost entirely on computational resources that are deployed directly with the imaging instrument. Raw instrument signals are captured and reconstructed to form images in on-premises devices. The final images are also stored in on-premises devices while the information-rich raw data sets are discarded due to storage and compute constraints. Research studies have shown that advanced image reconstruction algorithms, which operate on the raw data sets, have the potential to improve image quality, shorten examination times, and reduce the patient burden. However, such advanced image reconstruction algorithms require additional computational power, which cannot be supported in on-premises systems at scale.

Microsoft’s Connected Imaging Instrument project is focused on developing the technologies that will allow imaging instruments to utilize remote computational resource (in the cloud). We believe the pivot to cloud computing for medical image signal processing will enable faster deployment of new techniques that will improve the patient experience and expand access to advanced diagnostics.