— Every year at Micro-X, we celebrate what we call our “Independence Day” – a defining milestone in the company’s history and a moment that set us on the path we continue to follow today.
16 May marks the anniversary of the successful creation of our first carbon nanotube emitter and high-current Nano Electronic X-ray (NEX) Technology X-ray tube.
For many, the creation of the NEX tube was a significant engineering achievement.
For Micro-X, it was the moment possibility became reality.
Challenging Conventional X-ray Technology
Traditional X-ray systems rely on hot cathode technology – a design that has remained largely unchanged for more than 100 years. While effective, these systems are often large, power-hungry and mechanically complex.
Micro-X was founded on the belief that X-ray imaging could be reimagined.
The company saw the potential of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to fundamentally change the way X-rays are generated. CNTs offered the possibility of cold cathode emission – generating electrons without the need to heat a filament to extremely high temperatures.
The concept promised significant advantages insize, weight, power efficiency and controllability.
But achieving stable, high-current cold cathode X-ray generation suitable for medical imaging had historically been proven to be extraordinarily difficult.
The Creation of the First CNT Emitter
In 2018, Micro-X achieved a critical breakthroughwith the successful creation of its first carbon nanotube emitter.
This emitter became the foundation of what the company would later develop into its proprietary Nano Electronic X-ray (NEX)Technology platform.
The achievement represented years of research, engineering development and persistence from a multidisciplinary team of physicists and engineers working to solve one of the most complex challenges in imaging technology.
The CNT emitter demonstrated the ability to reliably generate electron emission using a cold cathode architecture, which was a key step toward creating a commercially viable X-ray tube.
It was the beginning of a new chapter for the company.
The First NEX Technology X-ray Tube
In May 2019, following the successful development of the emitter, Micro-X achieved another major milestone: the successful creation and testing of its first X-ray tube using the CNT emitter.
This was the pivotal moment that transformed the technology from a scientific concept into a functioning imaging platform.
The successful testing of the tube validated that high-current, stable cold cathode X-ray generation could operate in a practical, controllable and repeatable way suitable for real-world applications.
The technology became known as Nano Electronic X-ray (NEX) Technology – Micro-X’s proprietary carbon nanotube-based X-ray platform.
For the company, this achievement became foundational.
It provided the technological proof point upon which Micro-X would build its future.
From X-ray to CT Imaging
Micro-X first commercialised its NEX Technology through mobile X-ray systems, proving the technology in clinical environments where reliability, image quality and workflow efficiency are essential.
Today, the company’s Rover mobile radiology systems are used across hospitals, healthcare systems and professional sports environments internationally.
But the vision for the technology extends beyond mobile X-ray.
Micro-X is developing advanced CT imaging systems, leveraging the unique advantages of cold cathode CNT technology to pursue entirely new approaches to computed tomography.
Unlike conventional CT systems that rely on mechanically rotating gantries, Micro-X’s technology enables the use of multiple electronically controlled X-ray tubes with ultra-fast switching capabilities.
This opens the door to the development of compact, lightweight and highly mobile CT systems designed for point-of-care and pre-hospital imaging applications.
Among the company’s major development programs are:
- A portable Head CT system designed to support earlier stroke diagnosis closer to the patient
- A next-generation Full Body CT system being developed under the ARPA-H PARADIGM program in the United States
- Next generation Baggage CT scanners integrated into modular Airport Passenger Self-Screening Checkpoints
- Continued advancements in miniature X-ray and CT technologies for medical and security applications
These programs represent years of continued innovation built upon the original CNT emitter and first NEX X-ray tube milestone.
Reaching for the Stars
What began as a bold engineering challenge has evolved into a platform technology with the potential to reshape how and where imaging is performed.
From the first successful CNT emitter to world-first approaches in 3D CT imaging, the Micro-X story has always been defined by curiosity, determination and a willingness to pursue what other believed was too difficult.
Our annual Independence Day celebration is more than a reflection on a technical achievement.
It is a reminder of the mindset that continues to drive the company forward.
Because every breakthrough starts with the decision to push beyond boundaries.
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