Precision imaging with advanced CMUT technology.
Butterfly was the first to create a commercially available, FDA-cleared ultrasound device using completely re-engineered technology—semiconductor MEMS—to acquire images at a frequency range of 1-12MHz with a single handheld device.
Traditional ultrasound devices use piezoelectric crystals aligned in specific configurations to achieve desired depths and arrays. However, with our Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology, we integrated thousands of transducer elements directly onto the circuits that control them at the wafer level. This innovation allows us to pack massive processing power into a chip the size of a postage stamp, eliminating the need for piezoelectric crystals—a groundbreaking shift in the industry.
Our capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) technology delivers imaging capabilities equivalent to those of expensive cart-based systems, all within a single, whole-body handheld probe. We’ve redefined what’s possible in imaging with over 600 patents, and the industry has taken note.
Progression from analog to digital delivers exciting capabilities.
Butterfly ultrasound devices are powered by over 9,000 silicate elements that vibrate to generate and receive sound waves, engineered to provide a wider bandwidth than traditional ultrasound systems.
This novel design enables the combination of phased, curved, and linear arrays within a single probe without compromising image quality, while incorporating advanced imaging capabilities typically found in high-end cart-based systems.
Traditional ultrasound is limited by the laws of physics.
Our 9,000 element 2D matrix array has allowed for transformative advances in image resolution, compactness, and probe flexibility, all in a handheld device that is affordable, but it also allows for a multitude of capabilities.
Semiconductor technology offers attractive capabilities.
By leveraging semiconductor MEMs, Butterfly is unlocking countless possibilities for the future of handheld ultrasound.
Single-probe, whole-body
Linear, Phased, & Curved
1-12MHz frequency range
B-Mode, M-Mode, Coherence
Color, Power, & Pulsed Doppler
Compact and Power Efficient
Highly durable and resilient
3D imaging & beam steering
1 trillion operations/second
A streamlined software solution for efficient workflows and billing.
We designed our cloud-based platform as a centralized hub for managing, analyzing, and securely storing ultrasound images.
It offers intuitive tools for efficient image review and collaboration, with built-in compliance for HIPAA standards and secure storage. Our Compass AI™ software enables flexible access across devices and integrates with EMR and PACS to ensure patient data is accurately recorded and easily accessible.
Training AI models with a massive image repository.
Butterfly has one of the world’s most advanced AI infrastructures in ultrasound, supported by one of the largest clinical image repositories, with over a billion medical frames and over three million annotated images stored in the Butterfly cloud – ready for training powerful AI models.
AI-powered training for ultrasound learners.
ScanLab™ exemplifies Butterfly’s innovative approach, leveraging our advanced infrastructure to deliver an AI-powered educational app. Built specifically for learners, it helps users develop and strengthen their POCUS skills by easily and accurately identifying anatomy with real-time feedback.
Butterfly delivers eco-friendly ultrasound.
Powering a greener approach to imaging.
Butterfly’s CMUT technology represents a breakthrough: an environmentally safe alternative to PZT-crystal transducers, delivering imaging quality comparable to traditional devices at a fraction of the cost². This innovation empowers clinicians with a single, affordable probe that provides unparalleled imaging while advancing the global standard for sustainable, accessible medical technology.
- COCIR. Exemption Renewal Form - Exemption 14 Annex IV. 2020.
- Gibbons, R. C, Jaeger, D. J, Berger, M., Magee, M., Shaffer, C., & Costantino, T. G. (2024). Diagnostic Accuracy of a Handheld Ultrasound vs a Cart-based Model: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 25(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology?
Ultrasound-on-Chip™ is Butterfly Network's proprietary semiconductor technology that replaces traditional piezoelectric crystals with a single chip containing thousands of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) elements. Built at the wafer level, it integrates imaging and processing in one chip, enabling a frequency range of 1–12 MHz from a single handheld probe. This allows the Butterfly iQ3 to perform whole-body imaging across multiple array types — tasks that traditionally require separate probes — while remaining compact, durable, and software-upgradeable.
- How is Butterfly's semiconductor approach different from piezoelectric ultrasound?
Traditional piezoelectric ultrasound transducers use crystals that convert electrical signals into sound waves. Different imaging types — cardiac, abdominal, vascular — each require a different piezoelectric probe. Butterfly's CMUT-based Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology uses microfabricated capacitive elements on a single semiconductor chip, enabling one probe to cover a wide frequency range and perform multiple imaging modes. This eliminates the need for a probe library and makes the device smaller, more scalable, and software-driven.
- What is the Butterfly Garden™ developer ecosystem?
Butterfly Garden™ is Butterfly Network's developer program that allows third-party developers and companies to build, deploy, and scale AI-powered applications that integrate with Butterfly devices. Through the Garden program, developers can access Butterfly's software development kit (SDK) to create clinical applications, specialized imaging tools, and workflow integrations that run directly on the Butterfly platform.
- Can third parties build AI applications for Butterfly devices?
Yes. Through the Butterfly Garden™ program, developers can use Butterfly's SDK to build AI-powered applications for Butterfly iQ3 and iQ+ devices. This open ecosystem allows clinical AI companies, health systems, and academic researchers to create and deploy specialized imaging applications on top of the Butterfly platform.
- What is Butterfly Embedded™?
Butterfly Embedded™ is Butterfly Network's program for licensing its Ultrasound-on-Chip™ semiconductor technology to partners who want to integrate ultrasound into their own products and applications. Through Butterfly Embedded™, partners can co-develop new ultrasound-enabled devices for medical, industrial, or consumer use cases, leveraging Butterfly's chip technology without building from scratch.
- Can third parties license Butterfly's chip technology?
Yes. Through Butterfly Embedded™, partners can license Butterfly's Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology to develop and commercialize new ultrasound-enabled products. This includes medical devices, industrial inspection tools, and other applications where embedding ultrasound imaging adds value.
- Can ultrasound be integrated into non-medical devices?
Yes. Butterfly's semiconductor-based approach makes ultrasound small, affordable, and scalable enough to embed into a wide range of technologies beyond medical imaging — including industrial inspection, consumer devices, and research tools — through the Butterfly Embedded™ co-development program.
- What is the future of ultrasound technology?
We believe the future of ultrasound is portable, AI-powered, and software-defined. Technologies like Butterfly's Ultrasound-on-Chip™ are replacing hardware-dependent systems with platforms where imaging capabilities are controlled and continuously improved through software. AI is enabling autonomous image guidance, automated measurement, and intelligent workflow tools — making ultrasound accessible to a broader range of clinicians and settings than ever before.
This answer may include forward-looking statements regarding Butterfly Network, Inc. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially due to various important factors, including those described in Butterfly Network’s SEC filings.
- How is ultrasound becoming software-defined?
Ultrasound becomes software-defined when imaging capabilities are no longer fixed by hardware but controlled and upgraded through software. Butterfly's platform exemplifies this: a single Ultrasound-on-Chip™ probe can perform multiple imaging modes, and new AI tools, imaging enhancements, and clinical applications are delivered through software updates — not new hardware. This means a Butterfly device purchased today can gain new capabilities over the life of the membership.