SANTA CLARA, Calif. , May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Samplify Systems, Inc., a real-time signal compression technology company, announced today that Dr. Carl Crawford , a leading expert in computed tomography, has joined its technical team. Dr. Crawford brings 27 years of experience in the architecture, design, and development of computed tomography for medical equipment and security applications.
"We are delighted to add Carl's knowledge of the entire CT signal chain to
Samplify's capabilities," said Al Wegener , Samplify founder and CTO.
"Combined with Dr. Norbert Pelc from
"CT manufacturers are continually extending the diagnostic capability of their machines," said Dr Crawford. "Whether their goal is to capture an image of the heart in a single beat, to increase resolution or contrast between tissue types, or to decrease patient stress with shorter scan times, each of these objectives demands higher and higher data throughputs putting stress on the slip-rings and RAID drives used in current and next generation systems. Samplify's signal compression technology is the first approach I've seen which can address this problem at the source of the data."
Computed tomography systems employ an X-ray source and an array of X-ray detectors, organized into rows and "slices" which helically rotate around the patient. With each X-ray detector feeding a high resolution analog to digital converter channel (ADC), high-end CT machines require hundreds of thousands of detectors whose aggregate data requirements exceed 10 Gbps. The slip-ring is a rotary joint which provides the primary communications mechanism from these ADCs to the host workstation. This raw data must also be stored to disk in real-time using a parallel redundant array of independent drives (RAID) configuration. Unlike JPEG or MPEG compression, which operates on final images or a sequence of images, Samplify's patented Prism(TM) compression engine operates on raw sampled data prior to image formation to enable a 2:1 reduction in these slip-ring and RAID drive throughput and storage requirements.
Dr. Carl Crawford was previously Vice President of Corporate Imaging Systems at Analogic Corporation, a supplier of data acquisition subsystems to CT OEMs in the medical and security markets, where he was responsible for systems design, physics, image quality, production software and system integration. Previously, he held Senior Physicist positions at GE where he developed algorithms for CT, MRI, SPECT, PET, and ultrasound, including a key invention which enabled helical scanning used in nearly all CT machines today. Dr. Crawford currently provides consulting services as Csuptwo, LLC (http://www.csuptwo.com)
About Samplify Systems
Samplify Systems, Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, provides the only real-time compression algorithm for high speed sampled data systems. Delivering simply the bits that matter(TM) Samplify's Prism(TM) compression algorithm provides a cost-effective alternative to brute force hardware approaches to transport and store data within systems. Samplify targets real-time embedded applications in the medical, defense, communications, and industrial markets. Samplify's Prism(TM) algorithm is available in netlist form for leading FPGA families, and as a Windows software application. Samplify Systems is a privately held company based in Silicon Valley, with funding from Charles River Ventures and Formative Ventures.
SOURCE Samplify Systems, Inc.
