Mammography machines can be very uncomfortable. It relies on ionizing radiation to image a patient's breasts. But radiation ironically also increases the risk of cancer developing. A company called Delphinus Medical Technologies has a safer alternative called SoftVue. It uses ultrasonic sound waves inside a large water tank.

The exam looks a lot more comfortable for the patient. The patient lies face down on a table sitting atop a tank of warm water and places their breast into a sealed opening that's surrounded by a transducer sensor ring.

The ultrasonic signal bounces around through the tank and through the breasts. Delphinus claims that cancerous tissue has a distinct signature when it interacts with sound waves making them easier to spot.

Also, the exam will take two minutes per breast to complete. SoftVue machines doesn't even require a skilled or experienced technician to operate, it's designed to be completely user-friendly.

[Delphinus Medical Technologies via Medgadget]