Digital X-Ray Tech Got Its First Green Light From the FDA

Five years ago, Geoffrey Hinton—AKA the “godfather of neural networks”—said, “People should stop training radiologists now,” because image perception algorithms would soon put them out of work entirely.

That prediction met the same bitter end as forecasts for Quibi subscribers and the long-term value of Beanie Babies. Radiologists are not only employed, but in high demand. They are getting better tech, though.

On Friday, Nano-X Imaging got 510(k) clearance—a significant green light from the FDA—for its digital X-ray technology, which could bring down machine costs.

Why this is big: X-ray tech is pricey and bulky, and it hasn’t changed much in the past century. Right now, machines have to heat cathodes to a high enough temperature to produce electrons and create an X-ray, then cool down those components.

• Nano-X’s approach → building specially designed semiconductors for X-ray production, without all the temperature requirements. The company told The Motley Fool it can mass-produce full-body scanners for $10,000, while current machines can cost 10x that or more.

But, but, but: Nano-X still has to get FDA clearance for its cloud-based software, which allows for direct upload of X-ray images and uses ML-powered diagnostic algorithms to analyze them. —HF