An Australian imaging start-up, which claims to have created a system offering 1,000 times the resolution of a traditional X-ray, is looking to bring its ambitions to life with the help of new funding.

Lumitron, whose imaging system, the HyperVIEW, uses a high energy laser light source to produce medical images, hopes to tap investors for US$20m, ahead of a possible Nasdaq listing in 18 months.

As with any so-called revolutionary technology, a healthy dose of scepticism surrounding an innovator’s claims is required. Even so, even when a technology performs as promised, there are other barriers, often unforeseen, that can mar an innovation’s progress on its route to adoption.