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Stay up-to-date with our research, press and newsletter updatesAI on the Case: How Smart Software is Boosting Breast Screening
10th Dec 2025
by Dotplot
by Dotplot
Where Mammography Screening Falls Short: The Current Limitations
Lets face it, reading mammograms is hard work. Radiologists look at hundreds of nearly identical images every week, and they’re in short supply. Given that two radiologists are required per mammogram, you can see where the bottleneck in the starts to appear.
Lets face it, reading mammograms is hard work. Radiologists look at hundreds of nearly identical images every week, and they’re in short supply. Given that two radiologists are required per mammogram, you can see where the bottleneck in the starts to appear.
Wearable Ultrasound
Imagine a breast check as simple as measuring your blood pressure. Engineers at MIT are racing to make that a reality, by building a soft ultrasound patch that fits onto a bra so women can scan their own breast tissue at home. The motivation is huge - catching cancer early is life-saving. Survival is nearly 100% when tumours are spotted very early, but drops to ~25% in late-stage cancers. This wearable patch, along with other mini ultrasound devices, achieved medical-grade image quality comparable to clinical machines. This makes the possibility of home-screening real, in a practical and painless form-factor.
Smart FabricBeyond ultrasound, smart fabrics are popping up. A 2024 review highlights tiny thermal sensors sewn into wearables that could detect heat changes from tumours. In fact, studies suggest thermography (measuring skin heat) might flag abnormalities years before a mammogram would. Engineers imagine a bra or camisole lined with thermal patches or microwave antennas that spot tumours as they grow. These sensor-equipped garments are non-invasive and don’t use radiation, just gentle radio or heat sensing. They could even catch cancers in dense breasts that mammograms sometimes miss.
Inclusive Innovation
In the UK, designers at Nottingham Trent University and Glasgow are developing an ‘electronic textile’ smart bra specifically to help women with intellectual disabilities, who are often left out of screening programs. Its conductive threads and electrodes can sense tiny tissue differences. It can do this because tumours are usually denser and less watery than healthy tissue, resulting in a change to the bra’s baseline electrical signal. Researchers report it could detect lumps as small as 5 milimetres - thats under the size of a pea. The device sends a smartphone alert to carers and doctors, turning a normal bra into a discreet, live-monitoring cancer detector.
In the UK, designers at Nottingham Trent University and Glasgow are developing an ‘electronic textile’ smart bra specifically to help women with intellectual disabilities, who are often left out of screening programs. Its conductive threads and electrodes can sense tiny tissue differences. It can do this because tumours are usually denser and less watery than healthy tissue, resulting in a change to the bra’s baseline electrical signal. Researchers report it could detect lumps as small as 5 milimetres - thats under the size of a pea. The device sends a smartphone alert to carers and doctors, turning a normal bra into a discreet, live-monitoring cancer detector.
A Forward View
All these wearables aim to make breast checks comfy and routine. Finnish researcher Mariella Sarestoniemi, who is testing microwave antenna vests for breast scans, notes that ‘the procedure is intended to be as easy and quick as measuring blood pressure’. Early tests are promising: in Europe, microwave bra-like devices are already in clinical trials, and because these gadgets send data to doctors automatically, women wouldn’t need to travel far ot sit through the squeeze of a mammogram. Taken together, smart bras and patches are bringing the lab to the bedroom, putting gentle, quick checks right into women’s hands.
All these wearables aim to make breast checks comfy and routine. Finnish researcher Mariella Sarestoniemi, who is testing microwave antenna vests for breast scans, notes that ‘the procedure is intended to be as easy and quick as measuring blood pressure’. Early tests are promising: in Europe, microwave bra-like devices are already in clinical trials, and because these gadgets send data to doctors automatically, women wouldn’t need to travel far ot sit through the squeeze of a mammogram. Taken together, smart bras and patches are bringing the lab to the bedroom, putting gentle, quick checks right into women’s hands.