Midjourney Scanner aims to rival MRI with full-body ultrasound scans

Midjourney CEO David Holz revealed the company's first hardware product: the Midjourney Scanner, a full-body ultrasound CT scanner developed in partnership with Butterfly Network. The system uses 40 Butterfly Ultrasound-on-Chip modules arranged in a ring to capture vertical slices of the body, analyzing muscle, fat, bone, and organs. The scan takes about 60 seconds and requires stepping into a water-filled chamber where thousands of transducers send ultrasonic waves through the body. Two petaflops of processing power then reconstruct detailed 3D images. Holz claims the scanner aims for image quality comparable to MRI, without radiation or strong magnets.

The scanner is part of a broader Midjourney Medical initiative. For now, it will produce "body composition maps" that don't require FDA clearance for diagnostic imaging. Users can share their scan libraries with doctors or AI health tools. A Midjourney Spa in San Francisco's Union Square is planned for 2027, featuring the scanners alongside gyms, saunas, and cold plunges. Holz envisions eventual FDA approval for a new class of devices allowing daily preventative scanning. About a dozen people have been scanned so far. The AI compute used for image generation reportedly also powers the scanner's processing, creating a cross-application synergy.