The present invention relates to a device, system and method for less obtrusively determining a tissue characteristic of a subject, the device comprises a first control unit (11) configured to control an electromechanical transducer (31) by a first control signal (21) to transfer mechanical waves varying in a frequency range or with varying frequency content to an exposed tissue area of the subject; a second control unit (12) configured to control an electromagnetic radiation emitter (32) by a second control signal (22) to emit electromagnetic radiation towards the exposed tissue area of the subject; a radiation signal input (13) configured to obtain a radiation signal (23) indicative of electromagnetic radiation reflected from the exposed tissue area of the subject; and a processor (14) configured to determine a tissue characteristic signal (24) indicative of a tissue characteristic of the exposed tissue area of the subject derived from a frequency response or a frequency transfer function obtained from the obtained radiation signal in said frequency range or for said varying frequency content.

The invention comprises a device and method to estimate the elasticity of soft elastic solids from surface wave measurements. The method is non-destructive, reliable and repeatable. The final device is low-cost and portable. It is based in audio-frequency shear wave propagation in elastic soft solids. Within this frequency range, shear wavelength is centimeter sized. Thus, the experimental data is usually collected in the near-field of the source. Therefore, an inversion algorithm taking into account near-field effects was developed for use with the device. Example applications are shown in beef samples, tissue mimicking materials and in vivo skeletal muscle of healthy volunteers.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit acquires a measurement field corresponding to a spatial distribution of a predetermined physical quantity in a subject of measurement. The processing circuit calculates an unknown quantity in the subject of measurement based on a first equation between the measurement field and the unknown quantity having spatial dependence, and on the acquired measurement field. The first equation is one that is acquired based on a second equation expressing a dual field divergence of which can be expressed using the measurement field, by using the measurement field and the unknown quantity, and on the Helmholtz decomposition of the dual field.

A device for diagnosing an abnormality by measuring a minimal change in a muscle according to an embodiment includes a vibration unit that provides vibration to a body part of a user; a measuring unit that detects a minimal change in a muscle by measuring a change in elasticity of the body part according to the vibration; and a processing unit that calculates an abnormality of the body part based on the change in the elasticity of the body part, wherein the processing unit calculates the abnormality of the body party by using an algorithm that detects a degree to which a specific value of the muscle is far from a distribution chart by analyzing data distribution or an anomaly detection algorithm that detects whether there is anomaly in a variable.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for sampling skin of a person as a part of noninvasive analyte property determination system, comprising the steps of: providing an analyzer, comprising: sources and at least three detectors at least partially embedded in a probe housing, the probe housing comprising a sample side surface, the detectors including: a range of differing radial distances from a first illumination zone; repetitively illuminating an illumination zone of the skin with photons in a range of 1200 to 2500 nm; detecting portions of the first photons with the at least three detectors; and using signals from the at least three detectors and a metric, respectively classifying the skin into a first, second, and third tissue state, the radial distances of the at least three detectors differing from each other by greater than ten percent.

A device for measuring reflected ultrasound and optical signals may include: an optical source; an optical assembly comprising at least one lens, configured to focus reflected optical illumination from a target onto a detector; and an ultrasound transducer aligned to transmit and receive ultrasound radiation co-axially with the reflected optical illumination and wherein the ultrasound transducer at least partially obstructs a path of the reflected optical illumination. An obstruction may be distant from a focal spot of the optical assembly. The device for measuring reflected ultrasound and optical signals may be particularly useful for characterizing fluid behind an ear drum to diagnose otitis media.

Retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are the leading cause of blindness in the elderly population. Since no known cures are currently present, it is crucial to diagnose the condition in its early stages so that disease progression is monitored. Systems and methods for detecting and mapping the mechanical elasticity of retinal layers in the posterior eye are disclosed herein. A system including confocal shear wave acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography (SW-ARF-OCE) is provided, wherein an ultrasound transducer and an optical scan head are co-aligned to facilitate in-vivo study of the retina. In addition, an automatic segmentation algorithm is used to isolate tissue layers and analyze the shear wave propagation within the retinal tissue to estimate mechanical stress on the retina and detect early stages of retinal diseases based on the estimated mechanical stress.

The present disclosure discloses a method and an apparatus for acquiring motion information. A frequency domain transformation is performed on a detection signal of a vibration propagating in a medium to obtain a frequency domain signal, then a signal that is outside of a defined vibration velocity range is removed from the frequency domain signal, that is, only a vibration signal is retained, and then a position-time diagram is obtained along a defined vibration propagation direction. It is not necessary to perform motion estimation on propagation of the vibration by a complicated calculation, and it is only necessary to determine the presence or absence of the vibration by processing in the frequency domain, and then the position-time diagram is obtained, which is a highly efficient method for acquiring motion information.

A system useful for performing ultrasound elastography of organs such as the liver allows efficient and robust data acquisition. The system may be applied to perform real-time, noninvasive ultrasound imaging of the liver in humans. Steady-state, shear wave absolute elastography is used to measure the Young's modulus of the liver tissue. This method involves the use of an external exciter or vibrator to shake the tissue and generate a shear wave. Accurate placement of an ultrasound transducer facilitates measurement of the tissue motion due to the shear wave. The stiffness of tissues in the region being imaged may be computed from the measured tissue motions. The following innovations address both vibrator and transducer placement, as well as some specific methods to ensure adequate wave propagation, in order to obtain accurate and consistent measurements.

The invention describes a device comprising at least one emitter of P-waves and/or S-waves, preferably shear waves, more preferably axisymmetric waves, and at least one wave receiver, wherein the receiver or receivers are disposed concentrically, and the disposition of the emitters and receivers allows same to simultaneously come into direct contact with a specimen, the structure of which it is desired to characterise. Also described is a method for characterising the spatial distribution of mechanical parameters of a specimen, based on the emission of shear waves and the subsequent reception thereof.