Midjourney, the company behind the popular AI image generator that started with generating cat pictures, has taken a surprising turn into the hardware and wellness space. CEO David Holz recently demonstrated the company's first hardware product: a full-body ultrasound scanner called The Midjourney Scanner. Alongside this, the company announced plans to build a spa in San Francisco's Union Square, aiming to blend high-tech imaging with a luxury wellness experience.

The Midjourney Scanner: How It Works

The scanner uses a ring of sensors equipped with ultrasonic transducers that capture vertical slices of the body. As a user steps onto a platform that descends into a pool of water, the ring passes over their body, emitting sound waves and recording the echoes. This process, described as similar to dolphin echolocation, takes about 60 seconds. The data is processed by two petaflops of computing power to create detailed 3D images of muscle, fat, bone, and organs.

Midjourney partnered with Butterfly Network, a company specializing in ultrasound-on-chip technology, to integrate 40 of its imaging modules into each scanner. This allows for a dense array of sensors that capture data from every angle. The system is designed to provide high-resolution body composition maps, which Midjourney Medical claims will be “in many ways superior to even MRI machines” for certain applications, without the need for large magnets or radiation.

Planned Spa and User Experience

The Midjourney Spa in San Francisco is slated to open before the end of 2027, with 10 scanners installed. The facility will feature a gym, saunas, cold plunges, and scanning rooms with hot tubs. Visitors will step into the water to be scanned, and the experience is described as descending into a "shallow pool of golden light." Holz hopes that users might scan themselves daily or at least once a year to track changes in their body due to diet and exercise. He stated, "I'm not the most measured man on Earth yet, you know, but maybe I want to have that daily measurable information."

Currently, about a dozen people have been scanned as part of initial testing. The company emphasizes that the scans are not diagnostic but provide “body composition maps” that users can share with doctors or AI health tools. Holz acknowledged that full medical use would require FDA clearance, but suggested that future regulations might allow for a class of devices that enable people to “just try to get as much data as we can.”

Key Facts from the Announcement

• Product: The Midjourney Scanner – a full-body ultrasound CT-like device.
• Technology: Uses 40 Butterfly Network ultrasound-on-chip modules in a ring; processes data with 2 petaflops.
• Scan time: Approximately 60 seconds.
• Current status: About a dozen people scanned so far; not FDA cleared for diagnostic use.
• Planned facility: Midjourney Spa in San Francisco’s Union Square, with 10 scanners, gym, saunas, cold plunges, and hot tub scanning rooms. Opening before end of 2027.
• Purpose: Non-diagnostic body composition imaging – monitoring fat, muscle, bone, and organ structure over time.
• CEO quote: David Holz: “Aims for image quality comparable to MRI in many ways.”
• Data privacy: Company promises “more details on our data policies will come as we get closer to launch.”

Background: Midjourney’s Pivot from AI Art to Health Tech

Midjourney rose to fame for its text-to-image AI model, widely used by artists and designers. The decision to enter the medical imaging space marks a dramatic shift. During the livestreamed reveal, Holz admitted the move seemed odd given the company’s origins in “cat pictures.” However, he framed the scanner as a logical extension of Midjourney’s core competency: advanced image generation and processing. The massive compute power used for AI art can now be repurposed for analyzing ultrasound data, creating high-fidelity 3D reconstructions of the human body.

This pivot aligns with broader trends in health technology, where AI companies are seeking alternative revenue streams and applications for their algorithms. Midjourney is not the first AI firm to venture into healthcare; others have developed AI-driven diagnostics for radiology and pathology. However, building a full-body scanner is a much more capital-intensive endeavor. The partnership with Butterfly Network provides access to proven ultrasound-on-chip technology, reducing development risks.

Comparison to MRI and Other Imaging Techniques

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are standard medical imaging tools, but they have drawbacks. MRI requires large magnets, is expensive, and takes time; CT uses ionizing radiation. Ultrasound is safer and lower-cost, but traditionally limited to small areas or specific organs. The Midjourney Scanner aims to combine the safety of ultrasound with full-body coverage, using advanced processing to achieve resolution comparable to MRI for certain measurements. This could allow users to track changes in visceral fat, muscle density, or early signs of metabolic conditions without visiting a hospital.

However, experts caution that without FDA clearance, the scans are not intended for diagnosis. The company explicitly markets them as “body composition maps,” which may face less regulatory scrutiny. The challenge will be proving that the technology can reliably detect abnormalities and that the AI segmentation of organs and tissues is accurate enough for clinical use. Midjourney Medical has not yet published peer-reviewed studies, though it shows segmentation overlays of imaging phantoms to demonstrate cleanliness of separation.

Future Implications and Challenges

If successful, the scanner could democratize access to body composition analysis, much like how smartwatches have popularized heart rate monitoring. The spa setting could attract health-conscious individuals willing to pay for premium insights. But there are hurdles: cost per scan, data security concerns, and the need to build trust with users who might be skeptical of AI-led health advice. Additionally, the company faces competition from startups that use bioimpedance or ultrasound patches for continuous monitoring.

Holz envisions a future where people can be scanned daily to optimize their health, diet, and workout routines. He referred to the scanner’s potential to detect “weird” changes that might prompt further investigation. However, without clinical validation, such data could lead to unnecessary anxiety or false reassurance. The company’s promise to share data policies later indicates that privacy and consent remain work in progress.

In the meantime, the Midjourney team is working with about a dozen test subjects, refining the software that processes the ultrasound signals into 3D models. The hardware itself appears ready for demonstration, as attendees at the launch event were offered hand scans. The next few years will reveal whether this bold venture from an AI art company can actually deliver on its claim of creating a “magical spa experience” that also provides potentially life-changing medical insights.

Source: The Verge News