IIT Madras Researchers Develop Indigenous Portable Ultrasound Scanner For Sports Injury Diagnosis

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Madras ( IIT Madras) researchers have developed an indigenous portable Point-of-Care-Ultrasound (POCUS) Scanner for sports injury diagnosis and management. They have already been granted several patents for technologies that went into this device and are working towards productization.

This research from the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) at IIT Madras could potentially allow for on-field diagnosis of injuries, immediate assessment of the extent of injury that will allow for medical professionals to take a call on whether to permit the sportsperson to continue playing.

This Artificial Intelligence-powered POCUS scanner has a wide range of applications in sports medicine, and it has the benefits of safety (no radiation!) and sufficient resolution compared to other modalities.

A working POCUS prototype for Musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging, developed at the Biomedical Ultrasound Imaging Lab (BUSi) is currently ready. The researchers are targeting to complete the product prototype development by 2024. Subsequently, testing and collection of pilot data from the field are also being planned in coordination with Sports Authorities.

Elaborating on the need for such technologies, Prof. Arun K. Thittai, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT Madras, who led the team that developed this device, said,“We observed a current technological gap and a need for a Point-of-Care device for injury Management and Rehabilitation of elite athletes within routine training premises. A quick assessment for musculoskeletal on the field will help sports players get immediate attention and focus on recovery.”

Prof. Arun K. Thittai, also a Faculty Member at CESSA, IIT Madras, said,“This solution aims to bring the latest development in ultrasound technology to sports medicine beyond the hospital setting. The inputs from the POCUS assessment will be taken into the bigger AI platform for a holistic athlete management system. We are currently exploring all options to take up POCUS for MSK imaging for commercial translation.”

IIT Madras established the CESSA to become a global platform for fostering innovation in sports technology and delivering products and solutions to enhance athlete performance and also serve general fitness and health consumers. It will also create and deliver products and solutions across media platforms and work with sporting federations and bodies to increase fan engagement.

Mr. Ramesh Kumar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA), IIT Madras, was a former Global Head of ESPNcricinfo.

Speaking about the thrust given to boost Sports Technologies at CESSA, IIT Madras, Mr. Ramesh Kumar said, Chief Executive Officer, CESSA, IIT Madras, said,“This device is one more innovative product with a complete effort focussed on indigenisation, which we believe will have a huge impact in the sporting field.”

Background of Sport Medicine

Sport Medicine is a niche specialization that specifically focuses on diagnosing and treatment of injuries incurred during sporting activities. Most of the imaging studies are typically practiced at hospital site when the sportsperson comes in as a “patient”.

While as patients, the sportsperson gets access to the latest technologies used in the hospital setting, there is a huge gap in access to these medical devices/ technology in the sports arena, which can be used during routine training as well.

Such access will impart a paradigm shift in sportsperson care and allow for evidence-based training and possibly injury prevention.

The R&D efforts of this lab at IIT Madras has been funded continuously by several research grants from Government bodies. Current POCUS development team has been funded through the CESSA at IITM.

CESSA was established up with support from ‘Institute of Eminence’ initiative of the Government of India. IIT Madras was accorded the ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) status in September 2019. It is part of the Government of India’s vision to empower educational centres to be world-class teaching and research institutions.