History

Founded by Dr. Motoaki Saito, who serves as CEO and President, TeraRecon was incorporated in Delaware in 1997. Initial technology development for the XTrillion processor began and development contracts were secured with various medical companies using this proprietary technology for specific applications. Development work proceeded on reconstruction units for Cone Beam (3D) CT for major medical vendors.

TeraRecon undertook development of volume-rendering technology and other post-processing techniques for incorporation into the company's post-processing workstation, Aquarius, the first of the company's "end-user" products. 3D visualization algorithms were implemented both on the company's proprietary hardware technology, and on the Intel®Pentium® processor, using proprietary TeraRecon software algorithms.

After three years of R&D, Mitsubishi Electric established the "Real-Time Visualization" division in 1998 for the development of a hardware acceleration solution for real-time 3D volume rendering of medical and other imaging data. Introduced to the market in May 1999, the VolumePro®500 PCI board was the first commercially-available board designed for system integration by OEMs using standard desktop PCs.

In mid-2000, TeraRecon expanded XTrillion's application to ultrasound reconstruction. TeraRecon began planning more rapid expansion, seeking to acquire potential competitors and establish strong internal divisions. In early 2001, the Real-Time Visualization division was acquired from Mitsubishi Electric, and the Aquarius division was strengthened by the recruitment of experienced sales, marketing, and management staff.

By the time of its acquisition in January 2001, Real-Time Visualization had pioneered, developed, and commercialized the world's first real-time 3D voxel-based rendering technology for the PC platform. The VolumePro®500 has been designed into systems of various leading medical equipment manufacturers.