A team of researchers from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand has developed a new patient management system to make brain MRI scanning more convenient, accessible and convenient. the seated solution aims to reduce anxiety thanks to a series of functions, including a remote control for the patient and a sort of porthole to see outside.
Current head MRI scanners are expensive to buy and difficult to access for many. furthermore, the brain scanning process, in which patients lie in a tight cylindrical space, can be an annoying and claustrophobic experience. This is where the team of smart interactions. The agency developed industrial design in parallel with a client, a multinational team (Harvard, Yale, Minnesota and Sao Paulo universities) studying the potential of new technologies to reduce barriers to the use of MRI.
RMI with the remote control
The industrial design of smart interactions begins with a familiar object: an easily accessible place. once seated in this adjustable and ergonomic chair, patients who do an MRI of the head have a control device available. They can use the remote control to adjust their head support system which ensures comfort and stability. During the brain scan, patients even have a window to look through, thereby reducing claustrophobia.
The user and the MRI technician can control the chair and the inflatable headrest with independent remote controls. The remote control for an RMI user is new and unique in this context. the remotes offer touch feedback as they are 3D printed using a range of multi-material hardnesses. for example, the buttons to inflate and deflate the headrest are made of soft rubber and mimic the shape and feel of an inflated and deflated object, respectively. user control allows adjustment of essential functions with a simple and intuitive interface, while the technician's device allows full control.
MRI in the head, now two years of experimentation
The innovative brain scan head MRI is fully functional and will undergo clinical trials over the next two years. Smart Interaction hopes to make MRI accessible to a wider population. This will allow the brain scan to be used for early dementia detection and stroke prevention.
