In 1997, Thomas Jefferson University tested a digital X-ray system that could replace film. 29 years later, digital radiography is standard, with images available in seconds instead of waiting for film processing

In 1997, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia was studying a new X-ray technology that could eventually replace conventional film-based radiography.

The system, called DirectRay, was developed by Sterling Diagnostic Imaging of Newark, Delaware, and was being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Gary S. Shaber, M.D., a research professor of radiology at Jefferson Medical College and director of the hospital's Division of General Diagnostic Radiology, had spent more than a year studying the technology, as per a report.