A high tech company in Colorado Springs just launched a new product line that could change the way people use x-ray machines by making the devices more flexible and portable.
dpiX, the global leader in digital x-ray imaging, unveiled their latest generation of sensors at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers and Lt. Governor Donna Lynne ceremoniously started the robotic assembly line by tapping a tablet.
"Our current products are made glass and we are now going to produce them on thin foil," explained CEO Frank Caris.
A growing number of doctors and hospitals are switching to digital imaging systems because they’re faster and more portable. dpiX makes the sensors used in about half of the devices worldwide.
"It’s to the benefit of patients because it’s a lighter dose (of radiation)," Caris explained. "It’s to the benefit of the insurance company because it goes much faster. Your radiologist is able to see the picture a fraction of a second after it is made."
Their latest sensors that are lighter, sturdier and more flexible. X-ray device makers such as Siemens and Phillips can now design machines that bend around the patient.
"In the future, we will basically mold these sensors," Caris said. "So, if you think about mammography, for example, you can now imagine that we have a curved sensor instead of all the torture people have to go through these days."
The possible applications go beyond the hospital. Caris believe energy pipelines and military bomb detectors will also benefit.
"If you have a curved detector, you will be much better equipped to see what’s in there and do it fast instead of with a flat detector."
While the assembly line was started today, Caris explained that it could take another 2-3 years before the new sensors are introduced into the market because of the rigorous tests and inspections that new medical devices must go through.
