A behind-the-scenes look at Midjourney’s medical scanner leaves many questions unanswered
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- Midjourney released a nearly 20-minute behind-the-scenes video of its ultrasound-based 'dunk-tank' medical scanner, produced by company engineer and tech YouTuber Marcin Plaza.
- Plaza described the device as scores of ultrasound probes 'hacked apart and slapped on a glorified hot tub with an elevator in it,' connected to off-the-shelf computers and Raspberry Pis.
- Experts told The Verge that Midjourney had shown little evidence it could overcome the well-known limits of ultrasound, and the new video did not address those concerns.
- Tom Calloway, Midjourney's head of medical, said the scanner will launch as a wellness product focused on body composition — avoiding the FDA clearance and clinical trials required for a diagnostic device — and claimed the body-composition angle lets the company 'speedrun' and open immediately after testing.
- The presentation still leaned heavily on medical language, asking what physicians could do with frequent scans taken over time — a framing at odds with the 'wellness product' positioning.
- David Holz framed Midjourney's lack of outside investors as freedom to pursue the project unchecked: 'No one can tell me not to do it.'
Why it matters: Planned for spa deployment, Midjourney's scanner borrows medical imaging language while explicitly avoiding the FDA pathway that would require clinical evidence of efficacy. The CEO's 'no investors' defense reveals the trade-off: the same independence Midjourney touts is why no one is forcing proof before a public launch.
