For over two centuries, cardiac auscultation has relied on physicians’ ears, minds, and clinical experience. The stethoscope, first invented by French physician René Laennec in the early 19th century, gradually changed shape over time and reached its modern form around a hundred years ago. In recent years, electronic stethoscopes have been introduced, but the fundamental reliance on human perception has remained the same.

Dr. Ogawa, a practicing cardiologist, saw clinical limitations.
“If we could detect heart disease before symptoms appear,” he thought, “we could save more lives.”
With this in mind, he began building a prototype medical device on his own. This was the starting point of AMI Inc. Today, AMI is driven by a multidisciplinary team of hardware engineers, AI researchers, and healthcare professionals to develop a new generation of diagnostic hardware and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)
Our mission goes beyond simply improving the stethoscope.
By redefining auscultation, we are working toward a future where early detection is accessible to everyone, everywhere.

AMI began its research and development by focusing on three key elements.

1. Simultaneous Acquisition of Heart Sounds and ECG
   We developed a device that records both phonocardiogram and electrocardiogram data simultaneously. Combining these two physiological signals with AI, we can uncover deeper insights into cardiac function.

   
   



2. Commitment to Acoustic Accuracy
   Heart sounds are low in frequency and intensity. We addressed this by thoroughly optimizing sound quality. Our device can capture frequencies down to 20 Hz, allowing for precise extraction of key acoustic features.

   
   



3. Quantification of Key Acoustic Features and Frequency Characteristics
   To the human eye, sound is invisible. To computers, it is just raw waveform data. We transform this data into structured numerical features, such as frequency components and key acoustic characteristics, enabling AI models to carry out a variety of diagnostic and classification tasks.

   
   

Through clinical research, we collect real-world heart sound and ECG data to build a robust database. This database is the foundation for machine learning and deep learning models designed to help detect cardiac diseases from heart sound and ECG data.

As populations continue to age around the world, the number of patients with heart failure and other cardiac conditions is expected to rise. However, these cardiac diseases are often asymptomatic in early stages, yet delaying treatment can result in life-threatening consequences.

Traditionally, valvular heart disease has been screened based on patient-reported symptoms and physicians’ auscultation findings, followed by echocardiographic evaluation at specialized facilities. This diagnostic pathway has relied heavily on access to skilled specialists and advanced equipment, making it difficult to implement widely across all healthcare settings.

AMI addresses these challenges with two core solutions:
The AMI-SSS01 Series enables a new model of decentralized care in which a range of healthcare personnel, under physician oversight, can carry out cardiac assessments.
Through Cloud ChouShin®, we are building a connected care infrastructure that allows heart sound, ECG, and analysis results to be shared remotely. This enables seamless collaboration between local clinics and remote specialists, regardless of location.
In the future, we aim to realize a “Cloud General Hospital,” a connected medical network where care is not limited by time, place, or circumstance.
Telemedicine tools are especially vital not only in routine care, but also during disasters and in remote or underserved regions.
By leveraging cloud technologies, we aim to create a healthcare infrastructure where professionals across Japan and around the world can collaborate seamlessly. Whether in cities or rural areas, at home or abroad, everyone will have access to the same level of care.

AMI will create a world where quality medical care is available to everyone, everywhere.