Johns Hopkins APL technology targets earlier stress-fracture detection. Credit: Johns Hopkins APL Johns Hopkins APL researchers are developing Osteo Surface Echo Evaluation (OsteoSEE), a noninvasive technology that uses ultrasound-generated surface acoustic waves to identify microstructural changes and early-stage fractures in bone without ionizing radiation. In testing, OsteoSEE has detected fractures smaller than 0.5 millimeters, with the potential to support earlier intervention for military personnel and others at risk of overuse injuries. The technology was named a 2026 R&D 100 Award winner. Newswise - Tibial stress fractures are among the most common overuse injuries affecting military personnel, but they can be difficult to identify in their earliest stages. Small stresses in the bone may develop before an injury becomes apparent through conventional diagnostic tools, creating a window of opportunity for earlier detection to enable intervention. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, are developing Osteo Surface Echo Evaluation (OsteoSEE), a noninvasive, ultrasound-based platform that uses surface acoustic waves to identify microstructural changes and early-stage fractures in cortical bone - the dense outer layer of bone - avoiding the use of ionizing radiation. The technology was named a 2026 R&D 100 Award winner, recognizing its innovative approach to early fracture detection. "One of the most compelling applications is supporting military readiness," said Anna Knight, OsteoSEE principal investigator and a senior biomechanical engineer at APL. "Fully developed stress fractures can be disabling to individual warfighters, and the prevalence of this overuse injury limits mission readiness across the force." Riding the wave. Conventional X-ray imaging can lack sensitivity to early-stage or hairline stress fractures, while advanced imaging such as MRI is more costly and requires access to specialized facilities. To address these limiting factors, OsteoSEE uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ultrasound transducers to direct sound waves toward the bone at precise angles and frequencies. Rather than sending most of that energy through the middle layer of the bone, the system generates surface acoustic waves that travel along its outer layer. Because these waves move slower and do not attenuate as fast along the bone surface, they are sensitive to very small changes. OsteoSEE measures how the waves change as they pass across the area being examined, looking for patterns that may indicate accumulating damage or a developing fracture. "Using commercially available components and real-time analysis will make fracture assessment more practical in training or operational settings, where timely information can make a difference," said Austin Veith, a biomedical engineer at APL and another member of the research team. In testing, OsteoSEE has detected fractures smaller than 0.5 millimeters - thinner than a standard credit card - and below the stated resolution of conventional planar X-ray imaging. The team has also verified that those signals correspond to actual structural changes in the bone. The injury model used to develop and test OsteoSEE was verified against micro-CT imaging, providing an independent way to confirm the beginnings of fracture damage. "OsteoSEE reflects the value of leveraging deep technical expertise from across APL to develop innovative solutions that enhance military performance. In this case, we're combining our expertise in military injury biomechanics, advanced acoustics, and complex signals processing competencies to formulate a novel way to assess bone health," said Joan Hoffmann, mission area executive for Research and Exploratory Development at APL. "By investing in early exploratory research to verify the feasibility of our approach, and supporting the work through multiple stages of development, we've been able to establish a promising research concept and continue advancing it toward a capability with meaningful potential for the warfighter." From detection toward prevention and healing. The team is also exploring what could come after detection. OsteoSEE has been designed for potential compatibility with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), which has been studied for supporting bone healing. Future research could examine whether sensing and therapeutic ultrasound capabilities could be combined. The technology could also have applications beyond military medicine, including sports medicine and pediatric care, where a nonionizing approach could provide a safer alternative in assessing certain bone injuries. Media contact. Type of article. Section.

U.S. Navy pays Johns Hopkins to find its subs' weak spots. Oct 22, 2026 Modified date: Oct 22, 2026 USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) transits Puget Sound before mooring at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Oct. 1, 2026. Key Points * The U.S. Navy awarded Johns Hopkins APL a contract worth up to $47.7 million to study vulnerabilities of submarines and seabed warfare assets. * The work supports the Navy's Undersea Security Program and runs through October 2031, managed by Strategic Systems Programs. The U.S. Navy has hired the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to look for weaknesses that adversaries could exploit against American submarines and other assets used in subsea and seabed warfare, under a contract worth up to $47.7 million announced by the Department of War on Oct. 21. The laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, will provide research and development support for the Navy's Undersea Security Program, studying both present and future technological and operational vulnerabilities, with work running until October 2031. The contract went to the lab through full and open competition under a Broad Agency Announcement, and it is managed by the Navy's Portfolio Acquisition Executive Strategic Systems Programs in Washington, D.C., the office that runs the Trident II D5 missile carried by the Navy's ballistic missile submarines. About 80 percent of the work will take place at the laboratory in Laurel and the rest in Washington, and the Navy obligated only $50,000 in fiscal 2026 research and development funds at the time of award, with the remaining money to come through future task funding. - ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW - Discover more Tour Navy Ships Keeping submarines hidden has been one of the core missions of the Applied Physics Laboratory for decades, since the Navy's work on ballistic missile submarine security began with a 1968 Pentagon directive to investigate how vulnerable the boats were to detection. That effort grew into a long-running program that studies how a submarine could be found through sound, wakes, magnetic signatures, radar and infrared sensors, as well as through predictable patrol routines and lapses in operational security, and the laboratory has supported the Navy's development of patrol tactics for its nuclear deterrent fleet. The new contract widens that focus to the seabed, where cables, pipelines, sensors and other infrastructure have become a growing concern for NATO navies. Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known as GUGI, operates specialized submarines and deep-diving vehicles able to work on the ocean floor, and Western officials have accused Russian vessels of mapping undersea cables in European waters, while several Baltic Sea cables were damaged in incidents blamed on ships dragging their anchors. The work also comes as the Navy prepares to replace its Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines with the new Columbia class, the most expensive shipbuilding program in its history, and in November 2025 General Dynamics Electric Boat received a $2.28 billion contract modification for advance work on five more Columbia-class boats. The first Columbia-class submarine is now tracking for delivery in 2028, and the new boats are expected to carry the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent into the 2080s. The Applied Physics Laboratory is one of the Pentagon's largest university-affiliated research centers, and its defense work has been expanding quickly, with DARPA awarding the lab a sole-source contract worth up to $499.8 million for engineering and research work just a week earlier. The Undersea Security Program contract combines cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-no-fee work, and the specific tasks the laboratory will carry out over the next five years will be set through individual funding actions by the Navy. Corrections and feedback If you identify a factual or grammatical error in this article, please report it using its corrections form. Executive Editor Support the reporting you read Your contribution helps Iniaes LLC. produce independent defense news and analysis.

Predictive anatomical guidance system helps novice users acquire trauma ultrasound images. Ultrasound is widely used in emergency and trauma care because it can provide rapid information at a patient's bedside. One of its most common applications is the focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) examination, which helps clinicians look for signs of internal bleeding and free fluid in injured patients. Discover more Politics (Right) However, ultrasound is highly dependent on the operator. Obtaining useful images requires knowledge of anatomy, probe positioning and hand movements, making the technique difficult for inexperienced users to learn. Research published in the Journal of Medical Imaging describes a new system designed to help novice users locate the correct ultrasound views more reliably during trauma examinations. The research team, led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, developed an anatomically guided ultrasound acquisition system that combines a subject-specific predictive anatomical model with real-time ultrasound imaging and mixed-reality guidance. The goal was to help novice users position and orient the ultrasound probe, even when prior medical imaging of the patient is not available. Body measurements guide probe placement. The system uses external body measurements to generate a predicted model of the individual's internal anatomy and aligns that model with the body. As the user moves the tracked ultrasound probe, a mixed-reality headset displays live imaging and anatomical information to guide probe placement and movement. The researchers focused on trauma ultrasound because the exam requires several standardized views that can be challenging for beginners to obtain consistently. To evaluate the approach, the investigators tested the system with novice users performing ultrasound scans. Participants used the guidance platform to locate and capture trauma-relevant ultrasound views. Their performance was compared with more conventional ultrasound acquisition methods. The study assessed factors including image quality, the ability to obtain the required anatomical views and user performance during scanning. Novices capture target views more reliably. The results showed that anatomical guidance helped inexperienced users acquire clinically relevant ultrasound images more successfully. Users were better able to identify the appropriate scanning locations and obtain views that matched the desired anatomical targets. The authors found that the approach could help bridge the gap between advanced imaging data and bedside ultrasound. By supplying anatomical context during scanning, the system provided users with information that would normally come from extensive training and experience. The results suggest that image-guided assistance may make ultrasound more accessible to users who do not perform the procedure regularly. Potential beyond trauma examinations. The work could have implications for emergency medicine, trauma care and other settings where rapid imaging is needed but expert ultrasound operators may not always be available. Training remains essential, the researchers note, but guidance technologies could help users obtain more reliable images while reducing cognitive workload during examinations. The study adds to ongoing efforts to make medical imaging easier to use at the point of care. As ultrasound devices become increasingly portable, systems that provide predictive anatomical guidance may help extend the benefits of bedside imaging to a broader range of health care providers while supporting more consistent image acquisition. More information. Robert S. Armiger et al, Development and evaluation of an anatomically guided system for ultrasound image acquisition in trauma assessment, Journal of Medical Imaging (2026). DOI: 10.1117/1.jmi.13.4.045001 Who's behind this story? MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile Discover more Government Newspapers Campaigns & Elections Citation: Predictive anatomical guidance system helps novice users acquire trauma ultrasound images (2026, September 23) retrieved 24 September 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-anatomical-guidance-novice-users-trauma.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.