Medical X-ray imaging made affordable

The GlobalDiagnostiX X-ray system is about to go into production. This robust machine - initially designed for the challenging conditions of countries in the Global South - has also turned out to be an attractive solution for industrialized nations owing to its low cost. The GlobalDiagnostiX consortium unveiled its second prototype on 29 October at an event that included Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann. More than 120 years after X-ray technology was invented by Wilhelm Röntgen, medical radiography remains beyond the reach of two-thirds of the world's population. Yet it is an essential tool for diagnosing such things as car-accident injuries and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and pneumonia - the latter of which accounts for 20% of infant mortality. Developing countries in particular are unable to afford the high purchase and maintenance costs of X-ray equipment. What's more, this equipment is ill-suited for operating environments marked by high temperatures and humidity levels and frequent power outages. GlobalDiagnostiX aims to overcome these obstacles. The project was launched in 2012 as part of the EssentialTech program at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, and brings together a large number of European and African universities and university hospitals. The result of their joint effort was unveiled on Monday in Yverdon-les-Bains, in Vaud Canton, before a small group of guests that included Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, who heads Switzerland's Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. A whole set of tailor-made solutions