Midjourney is expanding its business from AI image generation to medical imaging. The company disclosed that it has established a new division, Midjourney Medical, to develop a whole-body scanning system called "Ultrasonic CT," which attempts to provide near-MRI imaging results using ultrasound, computing clusters, and AI image reconstruction.
The plan is to have a full-body scan first.
The company states that the system aims to generate a 3D full-body scan image in approximately 60 seconds. The envisioned process involves the user entering a water-filled chamber containing approximately 500,000 ultrasonic transmitting and receiving units within the device's ring-shaped structure. Data is collected synchronously during the scan, and then processed by numerous computing nodes to reconstruct the image.
Midjourney stated that initially it will provide non-diagnostic services such as body composition mapping, while simultaneously advancing algorithm training, hardware optimization, and research trials, and applying for regulatory approval for subsequent diagnostic applications.
The first store will open in San Francisco in 2027.
The company disclosed that the first Midjourney Spa equipped with scanning equipment is planned to open in San Francisco by the end of 2027. The venue will include hot tubs, saunas, cold tubs, and scanning rooms, with plans to expand further in 2028.
- Target imaging time is approximately 60 seconds.
- It is planned to deploy approximately 50,000 devices over the next six years.
- The first store is scheduled to open at the end of 2027.
From Image Generation to Medical Hardware
Midjourney, which rose to prominence in 2022 with its texturing platform, is now venturing into medical imaging hardware, health research, and offline services, signifying a significant shift in its business focus. Unlike companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which primarily use AI for medical record processing, clinical research, or as medical assistants, Midjourney is now betting on the imaging equipment itself.
The company stated that its long-term goal is to enable the system to provide MRI-like scan results without using radiation and strong magnetic fields, and to reduce the process of a traditional whole-body MRI, which typically takes more than 30 minutes, to about 1 minute.
Additional information:Midjourney stated that the company will primarily focus on research and experimentation, algorithm development, and hardware optimization over the next year, with short-term services starting with non-diagnostic items such as body composition mapping.
