IUCRC Planning Grant University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Center for Manufacturing Ultrasound Systems for Intelligent Care (cMUSIC)

About This Grant

This award funds planning activities for a new Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC), the Center for Manufacturing Ultrasound Systems for Intelligent Care (cMUSIC). The cMUSIC center is led by the North Carolina State University (NCSU) in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The global medical ultrasound devices market is rapidly growing due to accelerating rates of chronic and lifestyle-related illnesses. However, the U.S. ultrasound industry faces unprecedented challenges to exploiting growth opportunities, largely related to insufficient device development, system design, manufacturing, and commercial translation capabilities following decades of manufacturing outsourcing. The center will integrate electronics and intelligence into ultrasound systems to transform the manufacturing sector of ultrasound products for sensing, imaging, therapy and drug delivery. The center aims to enhance the global strength and competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing, electronics, and medical sectors of the economy. The cMUSIC center is also dedicated to workforce development through specialized training programs that will equip future workers with the skillset essential for 21st-century manufacturing, electronics, biomedical ultrasound and healthcare industry. Through a collaborative approach involving universities, industry leaders, and government agencies, the mission of cMUSIC center closely aligns with national priorities to grow economy sustainability and advance technological innovation. The mission of cMUSIC is to provide international leadership and train next-generation U.S. scientists and engineers in the fundamental ultrasound technology and its translation to practice. The cMUSIC center’s research focuses on the following four research thrust areas: advanced manufacturing of ultrasound systems with a large number of array elements by using semiconductor manufacturing processes; artificial Intelligence (AI) integrated ultrasound imaging for disease diagnosis, surgery guidance and post-treatment assessment; implantable and wearable ultrasonic sensing, communication, imaging, therapy, drug delivery and ultrasound power transfer; advanced thermal and non-thermal ultrasound therapy including histotripsy and neural modulation; and advanced characterization of ultrasound devices for intelligent ultrasound devices and systems. The UIUC site will specifically focus on advanced ultrasound electronics, integrated systems, AI in diagnostics, and wireless power transfer for implantable devices. UIUC has a history of designing larger scale ultrasound systems for volumetric imaging and designing and building smaller scale systems for wearable and implanted devices. UIUC is a world recognized leader in electronics and integrated circuits. With world class integrated electronics, systems, and power research labs in UIUC and cross-collaborations between NCSU/UNC and UIUC, cMUSIC center will significantly contribute to the next generation of biomedical ultrasound product manufacturing for intelligent care. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.