Pensievision emerged from the unique convergence of astrophysics and medical science. The story began when Dr. Dennis Carson, the renowned (former) leader of the UC San Diego Cancer Center, saw an opportunity to bridge two seemingly unrelated fields. He introduced his son, Dr. Joe Carson, an astrophysicist and Professor at the College of Charleston, to Dr. Y.T. Liu, a distinguished oncologist who led the UCSD biomarker laboratory. During their conversation, Y.T. described the challenge of detecting the tiny, scattered signals of disease amid vast biological data, an ongoing issue in identifying malignant lesions. Joe immediately recognized a familiar problem from his work in astronomy: detecting the faint signature of a distant planet’s light amid the overwhelming brightness of its parent star, as seen through the optics of space telescopes. The realization that similar techniques could be applied to both challenges sparked an exciting idea. Determined to bring this concept to life, the team launched in 2015 a pilot program in Mozambique, Africa, to clinically demonstrate their innovative approach. The success was eye-opening, and the results were published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, marking the beginning of Pensievision.

What started as a unique connection between astrophysics and medical science has grown into a company dedicated to leveraging cutting-edge imaging technology to transform how visual screenings and inspections are conducted in healthcare, aerospace, and manufacturing. Pensievision’s proprietary method of combining liquid lens based imaging with AI-driven software produces high-resolution, optical 3D mappings, achieved with an instrument compact enough to install on the tip of an endoscope, on a lightweight drone, or in a miniature space satellite.

A genuinely translational technology, Pensievision’s innovation is now being applied in settings ranging from rural hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa to the most advanced space laboratory. The technology is the center of large scale patient studies in women’s health, to prevent cervical cancer deaths in Malawi, Kenya, and the U.S. The technology will launch to the International Space Station this July, to demonstrate its spaceflight readiness for a follow-up satellite mission, and to carry out monitoring of microbial payloads in space. The multiple instruments are supported in their progress by NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH even awarded Pensievision a rare perfect score, also called the ‘unicorn score’, for its proposal on clinical testing of its flagship device for improving women’s health in rural and resource limited areas.

With the imaging technology operating globally and soon in space, Pensievision has focused recently on applying its technology for both healthcare and manufacturing applications.  For patient care, especially for rural medicine, Pensievision advances effective, affordable screening tools. For industry efforts, Pensievision aims to transform how manufacturing plants carry out myriad tasks in quality control, such as crack detection, bolt inspection, and overall nondestructive testing, using a portable, cost-effective device with floor-to-ceiling accessibility. Still leaning on techniques from space telescope imaging, Pensievision continues to innovate at the intersection of industry, space science and medical diagnostics, proving that sometimes the answers to our greatest challenges lie beyond the stars.