Sound waves spot the hairline fractures X-rays miss — no radiation needed

Stress fractures start as cracks smaller than half a millimetre — below what an X-ray can see, so athletes and soldiers are often told to rest 'just in case' or, worse, keep training on a breaking bone. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's OsteoSEE sends sound waves along the bone's surface to find that micro-damage, verified against high-resolution CT scans. The platform, a 2026 R&D 100 Award winner led by Anna Knight, uses no ionising radiation — opening the door to repeat checks for young athletes and children, where X-ray exposure matters most.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation