Micro-X Secures $1.6M ARPA-H Payment as Full Body CT Clears Design Review
Micro-X secures $1.6M ARPA-H payment as Full Body CT clears critical design review
Micro-X Limited has completed the critical design review of its Full Body CT system, triggering a $1.6 million (US$1.2 million) milestone payment from the U.S. Government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-H). The achievement marks Milestone 7 under the company’s existing Development Agreement with ARPA-H and advances the programme into manufacture of a full-size engineering prototype.
The critical design review validates technical readiness across four key subsystems: CT detector array, multi-tube potted array, high-speed tube switching, and system control. Completion of this milestone confirms the project has cleared final design checkpoints and is ready to transition from documentation and testing into physical prototype construction under phase one of the ARPA-H contract.
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What is a critical design review and why does it matter?
A critical design review (CDR) represents the final technical checkpoint before prototype manufacturing begins. At this stage, all key subsystems have been documented, tested, and validated against design specifications.
The four subsystems validated in Micro-X’s Full Body CT CDR include:
- CT detector array — the imaging sensor that captures X-ray data
- Multi-tube potted array — multiple X-ray sources configured for rapid scanning
- High-speed tube switching — technology enabling fast transitions between X-ray tubes
- System control — software and electronics coordinating imaging operations
For investors, CDR completion signals reduced technical risk. The project has moved from design phase to execution phase, confirming that the system’s core components meet engineering requirements and are ready for physical integration. This industry-standard gate demonstrates the programme is on track for prototype construction.
ARPA-H contract: the funding framework behind the milestone
ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-H)) is a U.S. Government research organisation funding breakthrough medical technologies with strategic importance to health infrastructure priorities. Micro-X entered the Development Agreement with ARPA-H in November 2024, establishing a phased contract structure with milestone-based payments.
The $1.6 million payment is one milestone within this larger framework. The first phase focuses on delivering a full-size laboratory prototype designed for imaging physical phantoms and test objects. This prototype will demonstrate the core imaging capabilities of the Full Body CT system in a controlled laboratory environment.
Non-dilutive government funding provides capital runway while validating the technology’s strategic relevance to U.S. health priorities, reducing reliance on equity capital during the development phase.
Next steps for the Full Body CT programme
Micro-X now commences manufacture of the first full-size engineering prototype under phase one of the ARPA-H contract. This laboratory system is designed to demonstrate core imaging capabilities on physical phantoms and test objects, representing the first prototype system under the first phase of the ARPA-H contract.
The prototype marks tangible progress toward a differentiated medical imaging product with established U.S. Government interest. As the first prototype, further development phases are anticipated beyond this initial laboratory validation system.
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Micro-X’s broader product portfolio and technology platform
The Full Body CT programme sits within Micro-X’s multi-product strategy spanning health and security applications. The company’s existing commercial products include mobile digital radiology systems sold for healthcare, military, and veterinary diagnostic imaging globally.
Other development programmes in progress include:
- Miniature brain CT imager — pre-hospital stroke diagnosis system for ambulances, funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund and Industry Growth Program
- Next-generation airport security checkpoint — contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Full Body CT — under development with ARPA-H funding
- Mobile digital radiology — commercial products for healthcare, military, and veterinary markets
The underlying technology differentiator across all products is Micro-X’s proprietary cold cathode carbon nanotube (CNT) emitter technology. This platform enables significant reductions in size, weight, and power requirements versus traditional X-ray systems, creating mobility and operational advantages in existing markets and enabling new applications.
Micro-X operates a fully vertically integrated design and production facility in Adelaide, Australia, with a growing technical and commercial team based in Seattle expanding the company’s U.S. business operations.
Multiple revenue and development streams across health and security markets reduce single-product concentration risk while demonstrating the applicability of the company’s platform technology across diverse imaging applications. The combination of commercial revenue from existing radiology products and non-dilutive government funding for advanced development programmes provides dual revenue pathways as the technology portfolio matures.
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