Scottish startup Novosound secures €3.9M funding to expand ultrasound sensor technology

As we know, ultrasound sensors produce sound waves with frequencies above human range. And, these are used to transmit through an object to measure or image internal features. Ultrasound imaging is commonly used in maternity wards and other hospital departments and is extensively applied in industrial settings as a safe Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique to reveal deformities, cracks or corrosion beneath the surface.

World’s first truly flexible ultrasound sensors!

Novosound was founded in 2018 by Dave Hughes and Richard Cooper as a spin-out from the University of the West of Scotland. Scottish startup Novosound uses thin film deposition techniques to innovate the ultrasound sensor technology. It has developed a unique film core material, which eliminates limitations associated with the existing ultrasound sensor solutions.

With this new ultrasound sensor technology, Novosound produces fit and forget sensors high-resolution imaging sensors that can operate continuously even at high temperatures. Also, it has developed the world’s first truly flexible ultrasound sensors.

Secures €3.9M funding

In a recent development, Novosound announced that it secured £3.3 million (nearly €3.9 million) funding. The Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund led the round by investing €1.7 million and this was followed by €600K from the Foresight Scottish Growth Fund. The other existing shareholders of the company including Par Equity, Kelvin Capital, Gabriel Investments, the University of the West of Scotland, and the Scottish Investment Bank were also involved in the funding round.

The Scottish startup will use the investment to expand its world-first ultrasound technology into the global markets and new industries. The company will draw on Foresight’s track record of supporting the growth of early-stage, innovative technology companies, and Williams’ extensive expertise in ultrasound NDT techniques currently applied by its F1 team.

To serve a wide range of applications

Besides using its technology to develop products for the healthcare and wearables markets, Novosound will use its flexible sensors to significantly improve the inspection of curved surfaces in aerospace, automotive and industrial applications. The ‘fit and forget’ sensors have the ability to withstand high temperatures and be permanently installed and enable completely new applications such as the real-time monitoring of high-value oil and gas assets that will predict maintenance and greatly reduce downtime.

Main image picture credits: Novosound

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