The ultrasound market took a big hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis also spurred product and technological development, according to a report from Informa's Omdia Ultrasound Intelligence Service.

The point-of-care and portable ultrasound markets are growing rapidly and the next evolution will be at-home imaging, according to a new report from Informa's Omdia Ultrasound Intelligence Service.

A confluence of factors promoting the rapid adoption of health care AI is expected to make 2021 a pivotal year for the technology, as demonstrated by product launches at RSNA 2020.

Artificial intelligence (AI) vendors are partnering with health care providers to identify practical challenges and consider AI technology as a potential solution. This type of collaboration is crucial to successful AI adoption because the technology is designed to tackle real-world health care problems. A myriad of examples was displayed at the recent RSNA 2020 meeting.

Omdia estimates that in 2019, the global market for health care AI software was $823m, making it the sixth-largest industry for AI revenue, but only a small fraction of the $16bn total AI software market.

Omdia expects revenue for ultrasound systems to contract by 8.4% in 2020, but to pick up again in 2021.