System and method for external acoustic bone velocity measurement

A system for externally measuring in a vertebrate subject characteristic behavior of an accoustic wave in a bone disposed within a body part, the system comprising:

• (a) first and second transducers;
• (b) mounting means for mounting the transducers in spaced relationship with respect to the bone;
• (c) signal excitation means for causing the first transducer to produce an acoustic waveform that is propagated into the subject and received by the second transducer along a path that includes the bone;
• (d) characteristic determination means for determining a characteristic of the behavior of the waveform along the path;
• wherein the transducers, the mounting means, the signal excitation means, and the characteristic determination means are all contained in a single hand-holdable assembly permitting the measurement to be taken while holding the assembly in one hand of the user.

A system for externally measuring in a vertebrate subject characteristic behavior of an acoustic wave in a bone disposed within a body part, the system comprising:

• (a) first and second transducers;
• (b) mounting means for mounting the transducers in spaced relationship with respect to the bone;
• (c) signal excitation means for causing the first transducer to produce an acoustic waveform that is propagated into the subject and received by the second transducer along a path that includes the bone;
• (d) characteristic determination means for determining a characteristic of the behavior of the waveform along the path;
• (e) a first housing for the transducers and the mounting means;
• (f) a second housing for the signal excitation means and the characteristic determination means;
• wherein the first housing is flexibly joined to the second housing to form a single hand-holdable assembly.