Echometrix LLC was founded in July 2007 by Dr. Hirohito Kobayashi, Dr. Ray Vanderby, and Dr. Barbara A. Israel.  The company was founded to commercialize technology developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by Drs. Kobayashi and Vanderby. 

Dr. Barbara A. Israel, Chairman of the Board

Dr. Israel is an experienced entrepreneur with many years of experience in technology management and administration.  In 2000, she co-founded Platypus Technologies, a bio-nanotechnology company developing liquid crystal based diagnostics and chemical sensors.  As CEO until 2007, she successfully brought products to market, raised $3.2 million in private equity investment and approximately $17 million in Federal SBIR awards and DOD contracts.  Dr. Israel serves on the Board of Directors of Platypus Technologies and as a consultant to the company. Dr Israel holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology and was a senior scientist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 14 years.  She has a significant record of publications and grant awards and is an inventor on 5 patents.  She is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Dept of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a frequent lecturer in both science and business classes.  Dr. Israel is also a member of the Wisconsin Regional Economic Development Committee and frequently serves on NIH SBIR review panels.

Dr. Hirohito Kobayashi, Co-Founder

Dr. Kobayashi is a Research Associate and an Instrumentation Specialist in the Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He holds a PhD in Engineering Mechanics and conducted doctoral research, under the direction of Dr. Vanderby, on the applications of acoustoelasticity to hyper-elastic, nearly incompressible materials.  His research led to the invention of the Echometrix technology.  Dr. Kobayashi is the inventor on two patents related to Echometrix technology and he will join Echometrix as Director of Research and Development.

Dr. Ray Vanderby, Co-Founder

Dr. Vanderby is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the faculty in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation where he directs the Orthopedic Research Laboratories.  He is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program for graduate students.  He also holds affiliate appointments in the Departments of Engineering Physics, and Mechanical Engineering.  His research interest is in orthopedic tissues and on the use of ultrasonic wave propagation for clinically relevant characterization of such tissues.  Dr. Vanderby is an inventor on two patents related to Echometrix technology and he will be a consultant to the company.