Guilford, CT, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fast Company Magazine has recognized Hyperfine’s category-defining Swoop™ Portable MR Imaging System as a World Changing Idea with honorable mentions in two categories: World Changing Ideas of North America and World Changing Ideas in Health.
Swoop™ offers unprecedented accessibility, immediacy, and convenience for patients and clinicians alike—it wheels directly to a patient’s bedside, plugs into a standard electrical outlet, and uses an Apple iPad® for control. Images display within minutes, enabling critical decision-making across clinical settings such as neurointensive care units, emergency departments, pediatrics, and more. Designed to complement fixed conventional MRI systems, Hyperfine can train new users on operation, device navigation, and safety in about 30 minutes. As easy to own as it is to use, the complete Swoop™ system costs less than the annual service contract for most current fixed MRI systems.
“Conventional MRIs are an essential diagnostic tool, but they are expensive to own and maintain, logistically cumbersome, and uncomfortable for patients. Swoop™ addresses these challenges by delivering MR imaging capabilities directly to a patient’s bedside, providing clinicians with immediacy and convenience that conventional MRI systems can’t offer,” commented Dr. Khan Siddiqui, Hyperfine’s Chief Medical Officer. “We are committed to delivering equitable healthcare to patients across the clinical spectrum and around the world, and this recognition from Fast Company as a World Changing Idea further validates our passion and drive to make MR imaging accessible and cost-effective.”
Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase innovative products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 4,000 entries from around the world based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential, helping them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”
About MR Imaging and the Swoop™ Portable MR Imaging System
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to create detailed pictures of the body's internal structures, like the brain and skull. Doctors use these images to diagnose a variety of medical conditions. However, fixed conventional MRI systems can be inconvenient and inaccessible for providers and patients, especially when time is critical. Transport to the MR suite demands complicated scheduling coordination, moving patients, and, often, 4- to 6-hour patient backlogs—all of which compromise the utility of MRI as a diagnostic tool in time-sensitive settings. Furthermore, high capital investments, electrical power needs, and significant maintenance requirements present barriers to adoption across all populations, acutely so for developing countries and rural geographies.
The Swoop™ Portable MR Imaging System addresses limitations of current imaging technologies and makes MRI accessible anytime, anywhere, to any patient. In August 2020, Swoop™ received market-ready FDA clearance for portable MR imaging of the brain and head for patients of all ages and received additional clearance for its deep learning Advanced AI Applications image analysis software in January 2021.
Leading organizations have recognized Hyperfine’s Swoop™ Portable MR Imaging System as one of the most innovative health care technologies available today. Swoop™ won the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) 2020 incubatED Medical Device Innovation Challenge as a solution that will shape the future of emergency medicine. Aunt Minnie named Hyperfine as one of two finalists for Best New Radiology Vendor in its 2020 Minnies Awards. The company also received the Best Practices Product Innovation Award from Frost & Sullivan, describing the disruptive technology as a “massive leap forward to democratizing MRI.” Most recently, Swoop™ was selected as a CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honoree.
About Hyperfine Research
Hyperfine’s mission is to make MRI accessible to every patient, regardless of income or resources. Anytime. Anywhere. Hyperfine designed the Swoop™ Portable MR Imaging System to overcome patient transport and dedicated room requirements associated with fixed conventional MRI systems. The Swoop™ system plugs into a standard electrical outlet and, uses an Apple iPad® for control, and produces images at a patient’s bedside within minutes, allowing care teams to gain clinical information quickly. Fierce Medtech recently recognized Hyperfine as a 2020 Fierce 15 company for its innovative and creative approach to developing solutions for healthcare providers and patients. Hyperfine is part of 4Catalyzer, a portfolio of health technology companies with facilities in Connecticut, New York City, Palo Alto, California, and Taiwan.
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