Medical science has gone mobile! A team of U.S. engineers have figured out a way, using a USB-based probe, to turn a Windows Mobile smartphone into an ultrasound imaging system. Thanks to a grant from Microsoft in the range of $100 grand, a medical scanner can be built right into the smartphone, allowing it to read the soundwaves coming through the probe hooked up to it through it's USB port.

One exciting possible use of this technology is in the military, to provide faster and more accurate medical aid to soldiers and civilians alike facing a medical emergency. In combat, for example, a soldier can use the device to find out whether a fellow soldier's injuries can wait to be treated properly at a hospital or if they need to be addressed right there immediately.

This is also an exciting development for use in developing countries where they can't afford standard medical imaging technology.