Samplify introduces new SMK9130 Ultrasound Beamforming Development Kit

Samplify Systems, Inc., a leading provider of innovative beamforming technology, analog-front-end semiconductors and solutions for the medical imaging market, today introduces its new SMK9130 Ultrasound Beamforming Development Kit.  Based on Samplify's AutoFocus™ beamforming technology, the SMK9130 is a complete hardware solution for the ultrasound front end, from probe connector to PCIe connector.  The development kit allows medical equipment OEMs to focus more closely on their core image processing algorithms to speed development of new machines by up to 12 months.

"The ultrasound market continues to fragment into many specialty applications outside of traditional radiology and OB/GYN," says Allan Evans, VP of Marketing for Samplify.  "The differentiator for these machines is not in the hardware, but in image processing algorithms.  Samplify is enabling ultrasound manufacturers to focus their R&D resources on their core image processing algorithms without the burden of designing hardware from scratch."

Samplify's ultrasound development kit allows ultrasound OEMs to start developing their image processing algorithms with "known good" hardware in advance of the availability of their production systems.  The result is a reduction in software development and system integration time, as well as the achievement of first pass success through clinical trials. As important, this development kit allows OEMs to gain a competitive advantage by bringing product to market more quickly and more cost-effectively.

"Time to market for a new ultrasound machine can take years due to the difficulty of isolating the source of image artifacts to the analog, beamforming, or software domains during system integration and clinical trials," says Daniel Kreindler, director of Medical Marketing for Samplify.  "The only way ultrasound OEMs can evaluate the performance of their analog-front-end beamforming algorithm and image processing, is to look at a final image.  The SMK9130 Ultrasound Beamforming Development Kit is the optimal solution to this dilemma."

The SMK9130 is a complete 64-channel ultrasound front-end platform.  It includes one each of SMM9132 and SMM9133, 32-channel ultrasound AFE receiver modules for full continuous-wave Doppler (CWD) capability.  The company's AutoFocus™ beamforming technology, and QuadBeam™ phased array processing, combines the received signals from each channel to provide four scan-line outputs for each transmission.  Tri-level pulsers and a transmit beamformer supports transmission for all black and white and color modes, and also includes a continuously variable power supply for the high voltage path.  The system supports post processing with an interface to a PC host via USB 2.0 or 4xPCIe 1.1.  Samplify provides a Windows software driver to control all the hardware, and an image processing stack for generating images.  The software is fully forward compatible to future ASIC and module products from the company.  Details on the SMK9130, AutoFocus™ beamforming, and ultrasound AFE receiver modules can be found at www.samplify.com/ultrasound.

Pricing and Availability:

The SMK9130 will be available in the first quarter of 2011 from Samplify and its worldwide sales partners.  Pricing is $60,000 (US), with additional pricing options to support volumes for clinical trials and production.  

Samplify will demonstrate the SMK9130 development kit at the 2010 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Exhibition at the McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, from November 28th through December 3rd, 2010.