This is called INCREMENTAL INNOVATION! What I was really looking for is DISRUPTION, something that changes these attributes by a factor of 10 or even more. Well, I did not find anything that qualified to achieve or potentially achieve that in the next 3-5 years. This is completely understandable when you know the business models, but I also believe that they need to engage in more EXPERIMENTATION challenging their own business models to achieve real — and needed — disruption in the near future.
Interesting also, that several manufacturer claimed to be the only ones that can do certain things (particularly with respect to AI implementation for noise reduction, data crunching, data integration from different sources, ...) and we then realized that all of them use similar approaches, call it something slightly different, and are surprised to hear that others are doing their unique „thing“ as well.
So, nothing that really impressed me and that caught my undivided attention and admiration, but at least several „honorable mention“ — and here I include UNITED IMAGING that surpassed all others with certain numbers: 75cm 3T MRI bore diameter and 50cm x 60cm imaging FOV, 640 slice CT (don‘t know why you would need that and what application would really benefit from that — there were at least two more Chinese manufacturer with 512 slice CT).
Honorable Mention (all: AI integration for patient workflow, reconstruction, noise reduction, scan speed increase, parameter optimization, prospective patient evaluation, ...):
CANON: MRI noise reduction and blanket coils. 320 slice PRISM Spectral CT (80 keV and 135 keV), 32 MHz US probe for extreme high resolution imaging.
GE: CT positioning camera without the need for an additional SCOUT view, EDISON software platform for all modalities that can also be opened to external organizations, contrast enhanced spectral mammography system with integrated novel biopsy device, and the AIR coils for MRI (even a „diaper“ coil).
HEALTHINEERS: the CORINDUS catheter robot integration and a renewed interest in therapy, complete set of cable free Ultrasound probes, new X.Cite CT platform.
PHILIPS: VR capabilities show for the cath/angiolab systems, sleek new PET/CT, Phase Contrast CT.
