Midjourney, the company known for text‑to‑image generation, announced its first piece of hardware: a full‑body ultrasound scanner. The device operates by having a person step onto a platform that is lowered through a ring of submerged transducers; the company claims this setup can produce MRI‑grade imaging of the entire body in 60 seconds without radiation or magnets.
The launch is planned at a "Midjourney Spa" in San Francisco in late 2027.
Technical and commercial background
Midjourney licensed Butterfly Network's ultrasound‑on‑chip silicon, a CMOS‑based approach to ultrasound sensing. According to the company's projections, the CMOS approach could enable large‑scale production: they have set targets of 50,000 scanners and up to a billion scans per month by 2031.
The announcement also used terms such as "ultrasonic CT" and "MRI‑grade," which the source describes as marketing phrases rather than established physical classifications.
Market positioning and regulation
Midjourney plans to introduce the device initially as a wellness offering — providing "body composition maps" — which allows the company to avoid FDA review required for diagnostic devices. This positions the product in the same market lane as existing companies like Prenuvo and Ezra, which already offer image‑based health and wellness services.
Why this matters
The move illustrates how capital generated from generative AI businesses can fund expansion into hardware and regulated industries. The source notes that much of the work here is not generative AI, Midjourney's original strength, and that marketing claims may not align with the underlying physics or regulatory expectations. The company's ambitious production and scanning targets underscore both the potential scale and the risks of entering a medically relevant field without established diagnostic approvals.
In short: Midjourney is entering the medical‑imaging adjacent hardware market with a full‑body ultrasound system that it says produces MRI‑quality images in 60 seconds, to be unveiled in late 2027 in San Francisco; the company is leveraging Butterfly Network's CMOS ultrasound chips and has set targets of 50,000 devices and a billion monthly scans by 2031, while initially offering the product as a wellness service to sidestep FDA diagnostic review.
