Ultrasound Keeps an Eye on the Spine
Your back hurts, and the doctor asks you to bend forward and backward to see how your vertebrae move. Usually, this means a series of X-rays: they show motion, but only in a plane, like a shadow on a wall. And volumetric methods like CT scans can't keep up with movement.
Engineers proposed a different approach: a robot sweeps an ultrasound probe over your back while you bend.