SAMSUNG

Samsung R20 Ultrasound: the South Korean brand's new premium ultrasound system

Samsung Medison, a medical equipment subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, chose the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2025 annual meeting in Chicago to present its new R20 ultrasound system. The equipment represents the brand's attempt to lead innovation in the sector, combining new imaging hardware with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and an independently validated ergonomic design.

The development of the R20 ultrasound system comes as a response to growing operational challenges in medical imaging. According to the company, the increase in obesity rates and chronic diseases complicates ultrasound examinations, requiring technologies with greater penetration capacity to avoid inconclusive results. Simultaneously, the sector faces a shortage of professionals and widespread complaints of strain injuries among sonographers.

Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and affiliate of Samsung Electronics, is set to unveil the Samsung R20 Ultrasound System during the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2025 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The R20 represents a new era of ultrasound innovation, leveraging advanced hardware and new image formation technologies that power its elevated diagnostic precision and AI-driven technologies, while introducing ergonomic innovations independently validated to enhance user comfort and scanning efficiency.

On the technical level, the R20 ultrasound system integrates Samsung's "Advanced Imaging Engine". This architecture combines updated hardware with advanced software beamforming, aiming, according to the manufacturer, for superior image clarity and diagnostic accuracy.

The system incorporates more than a dozen AI-based tools. These features are designed to offer real-time guidance during the examination, diagnostic assistance, and measurement automation. The goal is to reduce examination time and increase clinical confidence in complex cases.

Rising obesity and chronic disease are making ultrasound exams more complex, leading to higher rates of inconclusive results and creating demand for advanced imaging technologies that provide deeper penetration, intelligent clinician support and diagnostic consistency. At the same time, widespread sonographer pain and workforce shortages highlight the importance of ergonomic design. The R20 was designed to meet these challenges head-on, combining imaging precision, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ergonomics in a single system.

Built for exceptional imaging performance, the R20 is powered by Samsung’s Advanced Imaging Engine: integrating cutting-edge hardware with sophisticated software beamforming to achieve remarkable image clarity and diagnostic accuracy. R20 offers more than a dozen AI-powered tools1 for real-time exam guidance, diagnostic assistance, workflow automation and automated measurements to help clinicians improve accuracy, save time and scan with greater confidence in complex cases. Complementing its clinical performance, the R20 achieved independent validation as a leader in ergonomic innovation, meeting 100% of recognized ergonomic guidelines and recommendations2 to promote clinician comfort and healthy scanning.

“The R20 embodies our mission to elevate diagnostic imaging through purposeful innovation,” said Tracy Bury, Chief Commercial Officer of Samsung Healthcare in the USA and Vice President of Global Growth Initiatives. “Driven by close collaboration with clinicians, the R20’s technologies are designed as practical tools that make a real difference in how clinicians work and patients are cared for. With the R20, we’re moving from a fast follower to a true technology leader, driving innovation at a pace that’s reshaping ultrasound.”

In addition to clinical performance, Samsung highlights the ergonomic aspect of the R20 ultrasound system as a competitive differentiator to mitigate pain and physical strain on professionals. The company states that the system has obtained independent validation as a leader in innovation in this area, meeting “100% of recognized ergonomic guidelines and recommendations” to promote clinician comfort and workflow efficiency.

Tracy Bury, Chief Commercial Officer of Samsung Healthcare in the US, positions the launch as a strategic game-changer: “With the R20, we have gone from a fast follower to a true technology leader, driving innovation at a pace that is reshaping ultrasound.”

The presentation of the R20 ultrasound system at RSNA 2020 signals Samsung's intention to compete more aggressively in the premium segment of medical equipment. The strategy is to use the parent company's expertise in semiconductors and AI to solve practical bottlenecks in hospitals, focusing both on the quality of diagnosis and the health of those operating the machines.

by mundophone