Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology introduced a new technique for non-contact laser ultrasound. This method is distinguished by obtaining high-precision images, moreover, in some situations it will be much more convenient to use than conventional ultrasound. According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, it is sometimes difficult to perform conventional ultrasound examination for small children, patients of burn centers and people with hypersensitive skin. Due to the contact nature of conventional ultrasound, there is a risk of errors. Within a new technique, one laser using the photoacoustic effect remotely generates sound waves that are reflected from the human body, and the second laser also picks them up remotely. The results are displayed as a normal ultrasound image. The technology has already been tested on volunteers who have scanned the forearm. Laser and conventional ultrasound showed equally accurately all the structures of the forearm at a distance of about six centimeters from the skin surface. People were at a distance of about half a meter from the radiation source

Scientists also plan to create a compact version of laser ultrasound for home use.