This Week in Imaging: Canon – Saving Lives?

by Kathleen Wirth · Published April 12, 2019 · Updated April 30, 2019

One thing that caught our eye this week was the home page for Canon Inc., which showcases digital cameras – as you might expect – and, what you might not expect, that is, Canon Medical. Canon Medical was formerly Toshiba Medical, which Canon purchased in 2016.

Canon Medical provides diagnostic imaging, including medical imaging such as ultra-sound scanning. You can see a video below featuring Canon Medical President and CEO Toshio Takiguchi explaining how Canon researchers are working to develop new imaging techniques to better detect and monitor diseases such as cancer and stroke.

For those in the printer and copier industry, Canon’s expansion into healthcare graphically illustrates how the industry is diversifying – for some, it’s IT (Konica Minolta), 3D printing (HP Inc.), and PCs, laptops, and displays (Sharp), while for Canon, it’s medical imaging and network video security.

As for Canon Medical, Canon has retained the Toshiba Medical workforce, but has added Canon’s expertise in imaging processes, with the goal being faster more accurate medical imaging that will – yes – save lives.