Midjourney builds full-body ultrasound scanner, plans spa

Key Takeaways

• Midjourney's scanner uses half a million sand-grain-sized ultrasound elements to create radiation-free 3D body images in 60 seconds
• The company plans to deploy 50,000 scanners worldwide by 2031, targeting one billion scans per month
• First San Francisco spa location opens late 2027, initially offering body composition maps that bypass FDA diagnostic approval

Midjourney, the company that made text-to-image AI mainstream, announced it is building a full-body ultrasound scanner in partnership with Butterfly Network. The first unit will be housed in a company-owned spa in San Francisco, scheduled to open by late 2027.

The pivot caught the AI industry off guard. While hardware rumors circled Midjourney for years, speculation centered on creative tools or AR headsets. Medical imaging was not on anyone's bingo card.

How does Midjourney's ultrasound scanner work?

The device uses a water tank filled with approximately half a million ultrasound elements, each about the size of a fine grain of sand. These elements function as both transmitters and receivers. A person steps into the shallow pool and sinks through a ring of underwater sensors that emit ultrasound waves.

Midjourney describes the mechanism as working "like a dolphin, using its echolocation." The sound waves pass through skin, fat, muscle, and bone, and the sensors measure how those waves change. A compute cluster then processes the raw acoustic data into a complete 3D image in about 60 seconds.

The scanner produces no radiation and requires no magnets. According to CEO David Holz, the technology should eventually surpass MRI in image quality. That claim remains unverified. Only about a dozen people have been scanned so far.

Why partner with Butterfly Network?

Butterfly Network pioneered the "ultrasound-on-chip" approach, cramming what once required a cart-sized machine into a handheld probe. The company's technology replaces traditional piezoelectric crystals with semiconductor sensors, dramatically reducing cost and size.

For Midjourney, the partnership provides hardware expertise it lacks. The AI startup excels at processing visual data, but designing medical sensors is a different discipline entirely. Butterfly brings FDA experience, existing manufacturing relationships, and a decade of work on miniaturized ultrasound.

The scanner reportedly integrates around 40 of Butterfly's ultrasound-on-chip modules into the sensor ring. Combining these with Midjourney's image processing capabilities creates a system that can reconstruct body volumes from acoustic data faster than traditional ultrasound methods.

Midjourney's deployment timeline: 50,000 scanners by 2031

The ambition here is staggering. Midjourney wants more than 50,000 scanners operating globally by 2031, capable of performing one billion scans per month. For context, the entire installed base of MRI machines worldwide is roughly 50,000 units, built up over four decades.

A third-generation scanner is scheduled for 2028. Midjourney says it will feature "completely custom" silicon, with image quality and scan times representing a "night-and-day" difference from current prototypes. That's when things get "serious," according to company materials.

The FDA problem: starting with body composition

Medical imaging devices that diagnose disease require FDA clearance, a process that typically takes years and significant clinical trial data. Midjourney is sidestepping this initially by offering "body composition maps" that track fat distribution, muscle mass, and skeletal structure without making diagnostic claims.

This approach mirrors how consumer health devices like smart scales and fitness trackers operate. They provide data without interpreting it as a medical diagnosis. Midjourney says it will submit test results to the FDA on a rolling basis, working toward eventual clearance for diagnostic imaging.

Holz made a bold claim about the technology's potential: with enough early imaging, the world could avoid "30% of all deaths and 50% of all healthcare costs." The source for these figures is unclear. They're the kind of numbers that sound transformative but require enormous assumptions about detection rates, treatment compliance, and healthcare system capacity.

A spa? Really?

The decision to wrap medical scanning in wellness branding is deliberate. Midjourney describes the experience as "stepping into a shallow pool of golden light." The company is positioning high-resolution body imaging as a luxury service, not a clinical procedure.

This framing has practical advantages. Spa visits don't carry the anxiety of medical appointments. Customers may scan more frequently if the experience feels indulgent rather than clinical. And by operating its own facilities, Midjourney controls the entire customer experience and collects data directly.

The privacy implications are significant. A company that already possesses enormous generative AI capabilities would now hold detailed internal body scans of its customers. Community reaction on Reddit and Hacker News has split between fascination with the technology and concern about data security.

Can an AI image company build medical hardware?

This is the central skepticism. Midjourney built its reputation on diffusion models for images and video. Medical hardware involves supply chains, regulatory compliance, clinical validation, and liability exposure that software companies rarely encounter.

The Butterfly Network partnership addresses some of this. Butterfly has shipped FDA-cleared devices and understands the regulatory pathway. But integration is hard. Getting sensors to work reliably in a water tank, at scale, with consistent image quality across thousands of units, is an engineering challenge distinct from anything Midjourney has done.

The 2027 spa opening will be the first real test. If it works and produces genuinely useful body composition data, Midjourney's credibility in this space grows. If the experience feels gimmicky or the images are unreliable, the entire venture becomes a cautionary tale about tech companies overreaching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Midjourney's scanner FDA approved?

Not yet. The initial offering will provide body composition maps that don't require FDA approval. Midjourney plans to submit data for diagnostic imaging clearance over time.

How much will a Midjourney body scan cost?

Pricing hasn't been announced. Given the spa positioning and the technology involved, expect premium pricing at launch.

When can I get a Midjourney body scan?

The first spa is scheduled to open in San Francisco by late 2027. Wider availability depends on the scanner deployment timeline.

Is the Midjourney scanner safer than MRI?

The scanner uses ultrasound, which produces no radiation and requires no magnets. Ultrasound is generally considered very safe, though image quality for different tissue types varies.

Who is Butterfly Network?

Butterfly Network is a medical device company that developed semiconductor-based ultrasound technology. Their handheld probes are FDA-cleared and used in clinical settings worldwide.

Source: The Decoder / Maximilian Schreiner