Dedicated Breast PET System
Elmammo is a new breast cancer examination system that does not cause breast pain and allows subjects to undergo breast examinations in comfort.
Mammographic breast cancer screening requires strong compression of the breast during imaging that causes distress to the subject. With Elmammo, the subject lies face down on an examination bed with the target breast resting in a hole in the bed. This position not only brings a major reduction in subject stress, but also reduces the effect of respiration motion and acquires clear images with minimal blurring.
Elmammo is a new breast cancer examination system that does not cause breast pain and allows subjects to undergo breast examinations in comfort.
Mammographic breast cancer screening requires strong compression of the breast during imaging that causes distress to the subject. With Elmammo, the subject lies face down on an examination bed with the target breast resting in a hole in the bed. This position not only brings a major reduction in subject stress, but also reduces the effect of respiration motion and acquires clear images with minimal blurring.
Highly Accurate Breast Cancer Examination System that Causes No Breast Pain
To eliminate much of the anxiety associated with breast cancer examinations, Elmammo was developed with the goal of ensuring subjects are comfortable and feel secure by removing almost all mechanical elements and presenting a refined and aesthetically pleasing exterior design.
To give subjects peace of mind during examinations, the breast cancer examination system needed to be both a dependable performer and also provide subjects with comfort during examinations. The aim was to design a system both soft enough to make subjects comfortable, but also firm enough that positions required by the examination were easy to maintain. After extensive testing, a comfortable bed that allows both easy subject positioning and discomfort-free examinations was achieved using a dual-cushion construction with an optimal arrangement of different cushioning materials.
The first Elmammo prototype had an angular and industrial appearance with visible metal parts and screws. The design challenge was to create an overall more attractive system without altering the underlying engineering of the system. This was achieved by removing almost all mechanical elements from view and adding a refined and aesthetically pleasing exterior shape that subjects could interact with in comfort and with peace of mind.
As we were tasked with developing a completely new examination system, it took some time for the design concept to become established. We took care to brainstorm new ideas and quickly turn those new ideas into real images and models, then allow the product to take shape through a process of information sharing with the development team. The designs created during this process became a springboard for further discussion and new ideas. Eventually, we arrived at a comforting and calming design that incorporated the ideas of everyone involved. We look forward to this dedicated breast PET system being put to use for early detection of breast cancer, a type of cancer that has a high mortality rate.
Product Designer: Masakuni Tachi
July 30,2019
