The Russian company Smart Engines has developed the world's first wearable free-positioning tomograph. The device, weighing less than 5 kg, fits into a suitcase and builds a 3D model from 10–15 X-ray images.
Unlike classic CT, where the source and detector are rigidly fixed on a rotating frame, here the operator manually moves the emitter around the object. The position of the source in space is determined by X-SLAM technology, which combines computer vision, tomography, and artificial intelligence. To build a 3D reconstruction, the system needs only 10–15 frames — approximately 100 times less than with standard tomography. The radiation dose is hundreds of times lower: developers compare it to the natural background over a day in Moscow.
The device is based on serial X-ray equipment from St. Petersburg's ELTEKH-MED, with the key development being the algorithms. The prototype is already undergoing approbation in medical and veterinary institutions. Applications include field conditions, emergency medical services, paramedic stations, as well as flaw detection and customs inspection. A conventional tomograph weighs 200–300 kg, while the new device is less than 5 kg.
No state funding was attracted; investments in the project amounted to $5 million, and the technology is protected by a Russian patent.
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