The Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group researches and develops possibilities for the use of ultrasound technology in the area of medical diagnosis and therapy as well as in biological research and technology.

In the medical field this includes the non-invasive retrieval of information for diagnosis as well as the targeted destruction of tissue and the release of drugs for therapy. In biology ultrasound can be used for the non-destructive characterization of biological materials and living organisms as well as for the targeted manipulation and as an enabling technology for biotechnical processes.

Within this large spectrum of possible applications of ultrasound technology, the Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group offers all levels and types of research and development such as: feasibility studies, concept creation, prototype design and certified product development.

The Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group researches and develops possibilities for the use of ultrasound technology in the area of medical diagnosis and therapy as well as in biological research and technology.

In the medical field this includes the non-invasive retrieval of information for diagnosis as well as the targeted destruction of tissue and the release of drugs for therapy. In biology ultrasound can be used for the non-destructive characterization of biological materials and living organisms as well as for the targeted manipulation and as an enabling technology for biotechnical processes.

Within this large spectrum of possible applications of ultrasound technology, the Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group offers all levels and types of research and development such as: feasibility studies, concept creation, prototype design and certified product development.

The measurement and characterization of acoustic properties of materials build the basis of successful research and development of new measurement techniques and their applications. Aside from specially developed measurement setups, e.g. for the measurement of sound speed and attenuation versus temperature, measurement facilities for sound field measurements according to international standard IEC 1157 are available. The available multiple measurement-technology testing facilities allow the measurement of electrical and mechanical properties of single- and multi-element transducers as well as the precise characterization of technical and biological samples. The Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group uses these possibilities for the development of simulations and theoretical models as well as for the performance of feasibility studies and prototype design.

Microelastic properties of inorganic materials as well as biological tissues and single cells are of great interest in material testing and enhancement, for development of artificial tissues and implants as well as for biological cell research. Sound as a mechanical wave is an optimal medium for measuring these properties. In the frequency range up to 1 GHz using transducer-lens systems with high numerical aperture, a resolution in the range of 1 micron can be achieved. The microscope system SASAM, especially designed for the investigation of biological samples, allows for the use of advanced signal processing methods in this frequency range, due to the direct digitization of the high frequency signal. Therefore, it is possible to determine next to pure image information parameters such as stiffness and viscoelasticity.

Along with the use of ultrasound technology for information retrieval, the use of mechanical waves offers the possibility to manipulate samples. Using standing waves and the physical effects of radiation force and streaming, even the smallest microscaled particles can be sorted, mixed, captured or levitated. These techniques can be implemented, for example in micro channels and micro reactors used in biological and chemical research and industrial applications.

The Biomedical Ultrasound Research Group develops microscopic and macroscopic handling and manipulation systems for biological, chemical and technical process technology.

Light in the visible and in the near infrared (NIR) can penetrate several centimetres in biological tissue. The strong optical contrast between different tissue types is already used in optical imaging modalities (optical coherence tomography), but the strong scattering of light limits imaging depth and achievable resolution. With optoacoustic imaging systems, the optical contrast can be made accessible for acoustical detection mechanisms. Biological media have the property of absorbing light and converting it successively into heat and pressure variations which can be used as acoustical signals for imaging tasks. Optoacoustics unify therefore the advantages of optical (strong contrast) and acoustical (low scattering) imaging modalities.