Welcome to the interactive Ultrasound Simulation! This tool is designed to demystify the core principles of medical ultrasound. The left panel shows the "physics view"—the anatomy and animated sound waves. The right panel shows the "clinical view"—the realistic, black-and-white B-mode image. This version introduces a new **Auditory Feedback** mode, allowing you to "hear" the ultrasound echoes, providing a multi-sensory learning experience.
Move the **transducer** with your mouse, touch, or arrow keys. Click **"Emit Pulse"** to build the B-mode image on the right. Use **"Clear Image"** to restart a scan. The **"Pulse Sound"** button toggles the simple beep when a pulse is emitted. The exciting new feature is the **"Feedback"** button. When turned on, you will hear a distinct sound for each returning echo, providing real-time auditory information about the anatomy you are scanning.
While standard B-mode imaging is silent, this simulation's Auditory Feedback mode demonstrates principles used in advanced **Doppler Ultrasound**. When activated, each echo is sonified:
Try scanning with Auditory Feedback on. You'll quickly learn to identify the loud, high-pitched signature of the kidney stone versus the loud, low-pitched rumble of the deep bone, all through sound!
This simulation provides a solid foundation. Future versions could expand on the auditory concept by implementing a true **Doppler Mode** to visualize and hear simulated blood flow. We could also add interactive controls for clinical parameters like **Gain** (image brightness) and **Frequency** (resolution vs. penetration). Allowing users to select different virtual probe types (e.g., linear, curvilinear) and explore more complex pathologies would further enhance the educational depth of the simulation.