History

GE Healthcare brings High Definition (HD) to medical imaging systems with the world’s first high definition magnetic resonance (HDMR) system. HDMR will, for the first time, provide physicians with unprecedented image clarity in cases where patients are difficult to image due to movement, including Parkinson’s patients who suffer from uncontrollable motion and including children who have difficulty staying still.

GE Healthcare introduces the company’s new Discovery VCT, the world’s first true 64–slice combination PET/CT medical imaging system. The system marries GE’s volumetric computed tomography (CT) with its industry-leading positron emission tomography (PET) technology. By combining these scanning technologies, the Discovery VCT enables physicians to more accurately identify heart disease and other conditions, including cancer and neurological disorders.

GE Lumination introduces its exclusive VIO high-power white LED, a significant milestone on the path toward general illumination with LEDs. It uses proprietary violet-chip technology to produce less than a 100-Kelvin color shift over a 50,000-hour rated life.

GE Energy advances cleaner on-site power generation by unveiling a quantum leap in gas engine technology and a world's first: the 4-MW, J624 GS Jenbacher gas engine, the first 24-cylinder unit. The engine builds on GE's expertise in advanced high-speed gas engine technology, producing more energy more efficiently.

GE introduces the world's first hybrid locomotive prototype. Capturing the energy dissipated during locomotive braking, GE's Evolution Hybrid locomotive stores this energy in a series of sophisticated on-board batteries. That stored energy can then be used to provide locomotive power, cutting fuel consumption by up to 18% and emissions by up to 55% over pre-Evolution Series locomotives.

Small enough to fit in a physician's backpack and operate for up to a week on a single charge, the GE MAC 400 is the first compact electrocardiogram (ECG) device to be designed, developed and manufactured in India for India, giving more people in more areas access to better healthcare.

Using garnet gemstones, GE engineers develop the first new detector material in 20 years and put it to work in the LightSpeed CT750, the world's first High-Definition CT scanner, providing high-definition images at 100 times the speed of previous medical scanners — another big step forward in the early detection of cancer.

The unique nano-textured water repellant wax on the leaves of lotus plants inspires GE scientists to develop superhydrophobic nano-coatings. The results come to life in much more efficient products: a wind turbine blade that rejects icy build up, a gas turbine whose parts repel grime, and much more.

Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic uses biofuel to fly from London Heathrow to Amsterdam, and GE is there. One of the four GE CF6 engines powering the Boeing 747's flight uses a sustainable type of biofuel based on coconut and babassu oil - the first time that an airline has run this biofuel in-flight.

Using a process similar to that for printing newspapers, GE unveils the world's first demonstration of "Roll-to-Roll" processed OLEDs, organic light-emitting diodes. This is a significant step toward the inexpensive manufacture of these flexible, futuristic lighting devices.

Manufactured in the US, GE's Mainline Locomotive is assembled in China from a kit. The 6,250 HP Mainline can pull the equivalent of 205 Boeing 747 airliners with up to 10% greater fuel efficiency while producing up to 50% fewer key emissions at a much lower cost than typical for previous locomotives in China.

GE scientists figure out how to improve capture the energy of braking, store it, and re-use it, saving fuel and improving performance. GE's new hybrid hauler uses this amazing technology to put the energy from stopping to work, increasing the efficiency of mining operations.

The GEnx aircraft engine receives certification in 2008 and is poised to become the next industry workhorse on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. GE is the world's leading producer of large and small jet engines for commercial and military aircraft.

Research teams from GE and Eli Lilly developed tissue-based biomarker technology that can simultaneously map more than 25 proteins in tumors at the sub-cellular level for the first time, marking an important step in the development of personalized cancer treatments.

GE Global Research secured a second round of funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute to continue their research for faster, low cost DNA sequencing. This technology could dramatically improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases in the future.

Ultrasound technology is now more advanced, portable and accessible than ever with the introduction of the tablet-sized Venue 40 and the pocket-sized Vscan. These new advancements are just two healthymagination products that are changing the face of healthcare.

GE researchers continue their development of a real-time, wearable sensor able to detect ultra-trace concentrations of airborne toxins.

Since 2007, GE researchers have been working on the next generation of DVD formats and have now successfully demonstrated technology to put 500 gigabytes onto a single DVD-sized disc.

GE introduces the energy smart®LED bulb, the first omnidirectional LED bulb, engineered to replace old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. Casting a rich spectrum of light in all directions, it is vastly more efficient than an incandescent bulb, requiring 77% less energy, and lasting over 22 years with normal use.

GE debuts the WattStation, a fast Level 2 device for charging electric vehicles at home or on the road. The modular design is upgradable to take advantage of future communication advances, allowing customers to stay current with the latest technology. The WattStation also allows commercial property owners to qualify for LEED points (green building certification).

GE brings the promise of the smart grid into your home with the Nucleus energy manager, an innovative gateway device that enables communication between a home’s smart meter and its networked devices and appliances. Nucleus collects and stores home energy consumption and estimated cost data in near-real time, then displays the information in a simple, clear way on your home computer. GE’s Nucleus provides insight and convenience while empowering consumers to more effectively manage their energy consumption.