Question

Topic: Other

Need Help With Market Research On Ultrasound Use

Posted by Anonymous on 7/31/2008 at 5:31 PM ET 1000 Points
I've been engaged by a major university to put together a marketing plan to get a technology, that works with ultrasound, out to the commercial market.

They have struggled with this for several years and have yet to hit on the BIG THING, compelling usage of the technology. They have primarily looked at use in the medical field, but I believe it may have its best chance to get to market in other areas.

I'm looking for suggestions on web sites to go to to research how ultrasound is used in different fields, and, most importantly, what problems exist with using the current state-of-the-art capabilities. I have located one site that has a seemingly infinite amount of information, but it is all incredibly dense, scientific papers. The site is www.ndt.net

I cannot divulge what the technology is that I'm working with, but it does provide a novel way of visualizing the ultrasound image.

If anyone can help, I'll be VERY grateful! :)
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/1/2008 at 9:14 AM Member
    Medical ultrasound risks:
    https://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/ultras...
    https://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/ultrasoundrodgers.asp
    https://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/Prenatal%20Testing/prenataltest-ultraso...
    https://www.ob-ultrasound.net/joewoo3.html
    https://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2004/104_images.html

    Also, 3D/4D Ultrasound (easier to visualize for the layperson):
    https://pregnancy.about.com/cs/ultrasounds/l/bl3dusindex.htm
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_ultrasound

    ndt.net is diverse. You might consider attending one of the events: Sep 8-12 in Oakland, CA Nov 10-14 in Charleston, SC or Nov 17-10 in Ft Worth, TX (https://www.ndt.net/library/list.php3?long=0&Country=-1&Type=19&OrderBy=eve...) to do some market intelligence.
  • Posted by Levon on 8/1/2008 at 12:12 PM Member
    Being that the main uses for Ultrasound are as follows:

    -Confirmation of a viable pregnancy and assessment of progress during the same.

    -Detection of developmental/ structural abnormalities in the fetus

    -Diagnosis of gallbladder disease/ obstruction

    -Evaluation of blood flow in blood vessels

    -Assessment of the thyroid gland in your neck

    -Evaluation of the heart and diagnosis of cardiac problems

    -Revealing the presence of infection in a specific area of the body

    -Determination of abnormal structures/ growth in a particular area (Example: Cysts, abnormal growth, tumor etc.)

    -Revealing abnormalities in the reproductive organs

    I would then begin to branch out from these above points to determine which type of doctors (your market) and clinics could use such tech. I would then create a customized version of the product to appeal to each segment with particular attachments and add-ons that appeal to each use above and area of specialization. What I am suggesting is the oldest marketing technique in the book:

    Product differentiation through customization.
  • Posted by Levon on 8/1/2008 at 12:58 PM Accepted
    What about 3d Ultrasound? It seems that this new take on the older tech is becoming popularized. I could see how this could become a resource in which you could use 3d imagery to map out the procedure or use in surgery to assist with accuracy. Yes a 2D weather map leaves much to be explained and interpreted, but a 3d image with clarity could revolutionize the industry and make medical procedures more accurate without invasive tubes and probe cams.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/1/2008 at 1:54 PM Accepted
    Gary - It sounds like your client in looking to uncover some opportunities for ultrasound. Starting with the basics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound or https://www.finemech.com/tech_resources/ultrasound_applications.shtml) shows the general categories of usage.

    However, given that they have something novel, they may need to look at industries that would seem to benefit from ultrasound but couldn't use it for a number of reasons.

    If you want to contact me off-forum, I'd be happy to give some specific ideas once I understand some additional details.
  • Posted on 8/2/2008 at 1:12 PM Accepted
    Gary, I did a similar project several years ago ... looking at possible applications for new technology based on some clever add-on technical breakthroughs. It was even in the medical/healthcare and imaging industry. (Lots of parallels to what you describe.)

    We ended up developing a couple of paths for further exploration: (1) use in non-medical applications, like non-destructive testing of aircraft and space vehicles, for example; and (2) medical applications where the basic technology was not being used at all.

    The latter involved a dozen interviews with physicians (in different specialties) to get them thinking about the possibilities, and eventually a visit to the SSA because they determine what the Medicare reimbursement would be for new technologies.

    The former required visits and interviews with aircraft manufacturers, maintenance crew chiefs, and a few pilots/test pilots. (Also identified a few other industries and pursued them as well.)

    If you want to talk offline, I can probably fill in some of the blanks, but -- like you -- I've signed some pretty restrictive NDAs and I'm not sure I can be much more specific. Even if the NDAs have expired, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to share specifics.

    If there's a conclusion, it's that you may need to do (or commission) a battery of face-to-face interviews with the ultimate (possible) target audience in order to really figure out where the product will be most valuable in use.
  • Posted on 8/3/2008 at 7:08 PM Member
    If you're client wants to start a revolution then the best bet would be science as there are some ways to maybe use is with finding oil or even finding fossils for the archiologist. I figure that it would also help to see if there are new fault lines in the earth.
    Also maybe it could also be used to check out the mountains to see if they'll be a problem later in the future. I hope that these ideas help loads :) take care.
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