Exo announced today that it will acquire artificial intelligence (AI) developer Medo to make ultrasound imaging faster and simpler.
Redwood City, California-based Exo intends to integrate Medo’s proprietary Sweep AI technology into its ultrasound platform to make the imaging modality more accessible to a wider range of caregivers.
No financial terms for the acquisition were disclosed.
According to a news release, Canada-based Medo’s ultrasound AI technology radically lowers the expertise required to diagnose common and critical conditions through automated image acquisition and interpretation, giving non-experts the ability to conduct high-quality exams quickly and accurately.
The company brings with it two FDA-cleared AI algorithms, as well as more in development, plus access to an extensive library of millions of ultrasound images and longitudinal health data to speed up point-of-care ultrasound adoption across the healthcare system, potentially expanding early disease detection and accelerating the path to treatment.
Medo also holds strong partnerships across health systems worldwide, Exo said, including top institutions in Asia and Canada that can help to enable clinical validation and adoption.
“This acquisition is about bringing unprecedented ease of use to ultrasound imaging — allowing caregivers to easily obtain and interpret ultrasound images,” Sandeep Akkaraju, CEO and founder of Exo, said in the release. “Medo has built a robust AI pipeline to go from acquiring medical images to FDA-cleared software. We are excited about joining forces with an innovative team that shares our vision of taking medical imaging everywhere.”
Exo also recently launched its its Exo Works point-of-care ultrasound workflow solution, designed to enable physicians to easily document, review, bill and manage quality assurance all from one platform within seconds.
The company plans to commercialize a handheld ultrasound device that uses new technology to deliver powerful imaging at a fraction of the cost of a cart-based system, too.
“Exo’s powerful hardware and workflow technologies and Medo’s AI will dramatically reduce the challenges that have long held back the widespread adoption of point-of-care ultrasound,” said Dornoosh Zonoobi, CEO of Medo. “The ease of imaging and immediacy of diagnostic information we provide will radically transform medical care, creating a world where caregivers can image the body as easily as snapping a photo on a smartphone.”