You may know Fuel 3D Technologies Ltd. for its low-cost, high resolution handheld 3D scanner that blew up on Kickstarter last year. What you may not have known is that Fuel 3D actually began as a company called Eykona, which was working on a low-cost medical imaging device. Now that the Fuel 3D scanner has successfully launched with $300,000 raised on Kickstarter and the company has received an additional £1.6 million ($2.6 million) through investment firm Chimera Partners, the Oxford University spin-out will be returning to its medical roots. Fuel 3D has just secured a £685,831 ($1.1 million) SBRI Healthcare development contract to expand its 3D medical imaging system.
The Eykona Wound Measurement System, Fuel 3D’s original scanning technology, was designed to generate 3D images of wounds, such as diabetic foot and leg ulcers, for measurement and assessment by medical professionals. The system relied on fast processing and the rapid display of interactive 3D models, which could be used to characterize and manage wounds with an evidence-based approach. Since its inception in 2012, the system has been in use at over 25 NHS Trusts and at research institutions across the world. The British Department of Health, NHS England, pursues economic growth in the UK, while addressing the region’s health concerns, through its SBRI Healthcare initiative. Fuel 3D will use the SBRI Healthcare contract to continue work on the Eykona scanner, to transform it into a more general medical scanning device for use in a greater number of specialized medical areas. You can watch a brief video about the Eykona Wound Measurement System below:
Stuard Mead, CEO of Fuel 3D Technologies, explains how the contract aligns with the Fuel 3D scanner, “As our core technology was originally developed with medical imaging applications in mind, so we are delighted to have secured this contract in order to ensure that, under Fuel3D, the Eykona scanning technology continues to play a role in the healthcare sector. This contract runs in parallel with our plans to deliver a consumer-grade 3D scanner, and we are looking forward to shipping the first units to our Kickstarter backers within the next few weeks.”
I’m a little excited to see what the company comes up with. They’ve already got the 3D scanner for capturing 3D images of wounds, etc. So, what could they need the $1.1 million for? If it’s to expand the scanning capabilities of their Eykona device for a broader range of medical specialties, I’m hoping that the scanner goes beyond 3D imaging and captures other information, like your vital signs, as well. Turn that thing into a full-on medical tricoder, please!
Source: Fuel 3D
