Key facts
- Midjourney has launched a medical division, Midjourney Medical, to develop a full-body ultrasonic scanner.
- The scanner uses 500,000 sound-wave transducers and completes scans in 60 seconds without radiation or magnets.
- The technology licensed Butterfly Network's ultrasound-on-chip for $15 million upfront.
- Midjourney plans to offer scans as a wellness spa experience, with the first location opening in San Francisco in late 2027.
- The company is initially pursuing an FDA general-wellness label, providing body composition maps instead of clinical diagnoses.
Artificial intelligence company Midjourney, known for its AI-generated images, is venturing into healthcare with a new division called Midjourney Medical. The company announced on June 18, 2026, a full-body ultrasonic scanner designed to perform scans in just 60 seconds, utilizing 500,000 sound-wave transducers and water to conduct ultrasound waves. This technology, licensed from Butterfly Network for $15 million upfront, aims to provide MRI-comparable resolution without radiation or magnets.
Midjourney plans to position these scanners within wellness spas, envisioning a spa experience that includes hot tubs and saunas alongside the scanning technology. The first flagship spa is slated to open in San Francisco in late 2027. The company has ambitious global expansion plans, targeting 50,000 scanners worldwide and one billion scans per month by 2031, with the ultimate goal of using the vast dataset to train AI for early detection of abnormalities in asymptomatic individuals.
However, the company is initially launching under an FDA general-wellness label, meaning the scans will produce 'body composition maps' rather than clinical diagnoses. This approach sidesteps the rigorous diagnostic device clearance process, though Midjourney states it will submit incremental results for diagnostic approval over time. The American College of Radiology has cautioned against whole-body screening in asymptomatic individuals due to a lack of clinical evidence, a standard that Midjourney's technology will need to meet. Competitors like Prenuvo and Ezra operate in a similar wellness imaging market and face comparable regulatory scrutiny.
