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To Will Mullin's way of thinking, his company'shigh-frequency portable scanner is technological silly putty."Everyone who comes in contact with our product envisions anew use for it," says the 31-year-old president of Swarthmore,Pennsylvania-based Longport Inc.

Initially, Mullin says, Longport developed its scanner in theearly 1990s for the wound-care market. "The underlyingtechnology gave us several competitive advantages," saysMullin. "For instance, with a 20 MHz frequency, we were ableto scan much clearer images than were possible at lower ends of thespectrum." Unlike the ultrasound technology used in obstetricsand gynecology, Mullin adds, Longport's device is portable anddigital, meaning the equipment can be taken to the patients and theimages can be sent via e-mail to achieve true telemedicine.

These attributes have created excitement beyond Longport'sinitial target market. Oncologists have used the scanner to measurethe effects of radiology treatments on cancer patients. Sportsmedicine professionals want scanners on the field, andveterinarians see uses in barns, paddocks and pens.