This bizarre looking helmet can create better brain scans: “A newly designed wearable magnetic metamaterial could help make MRI scans crisper, faster, and cheaper. It may look like a bizarre bike helmet, or a piece of equipment found in Doc Brown’s lab in Back to the Future, yet this gadget made of plastic and copper wire is a technological breakthrough with the potential to revolutionize medical imaging. Despite its playful look, the device is actually a metamaterial, packing in a ton of physics, engineering and mathematical know-how. It was developed by Xin Zhang, a College of Engineering professor of mechanical engineering, and her team of scientists at BU’s Photonics Center.” [Science Daily, Medical Xpress, Neuroscience News, Brain Tomorrow, Imaging Technology News, etc.]

Wearable metamaterial helmet improves MRI efficiency: “The helmet is fashioned from a series of magnetic metamaterial resonators, which are made from 3D-printed plastic tubes wrapped in copper wiring, grouped on an array, and precisely arranged to channel the magnetic field of the MRI machine. Placing the magnetic metamaterial−in helmet form or as the originally designed flat array−near the part of the body to be scanned could make MRIs less costly and more time efficient for doctors, radiologists, and patients−all while improving image quality. Eventually, the magnetic metamaterial has the potential to be used in conjunction with cheaper low-field MRI machines to make the technology more widely available, particularly in the developing world.” [Science Daily, Medical Xpress, Neuroscience News, Brain Tomorrow, Imaging Technology News, etc.]

Funky helmet enhances MRI brain scans: “A team of engineers and radiologists at Boston University created a helmet that can dramatically improve MRI scans of the brain. The device consists of a series of magnetic metamaterial resonators that significantly boost MRI performance. This results in crisper images that can be obtained at twice the speed of a normal scan. The breakthrough may allow clinicians to obtain useful images from low-field MRI scanners, potentially expanding the accessibility of brain scans to people in low-resource regions of the world. MRI is an incredibly useful imaging technique, but it can often be difficult to achieve the image resolution required to identify the features of a specific disease or condition. Moreover, the scans are not exactly quick, often lasting nearly an hour. Upping the field power of an MRI system can increase its imaging power, but this is expensive. What if a simple device, made from plastic and copper wire, could help with all of these issues, and look like a goofy toy for kids in the process? Look no further.” [Medgadget]

Raising the floor beyond all expectations: “While the technology-healthcare linkup now has every achievement in the bag, it is still moving towards something better, and Boston University’s latest brainchild does a lot to back that up. The researching team at Boston University has successfully developed a metamaterial-driven helmet, which can be used during a brain scan for more in-depth MRI results. Apart from significantly bolstering the end-product quality, the helmet also introduces a faster, and yet more economically feasible, way of going about your MRI. It’s natural for someone to have a little hesitation around using cheaper alternatives when the context is as sensitive as this one, but by dialing up signal-to-noise ratio, the Boston University’s new creation ensures that the captured image is only better. … There is hope among the researchers that the technology will eventually have enough in the tank to work with low-field MRI scanners. Assuming the said goal is realized, people living in underdeveloped areas will also end up getting a fair shot at reaping its benefits.” [Medhealth Outlook]

You can keep your hat on (in the MRI): “If I told you an MRI revolution was coming, you probably wouldn’t expect it to come dressed like this. The helmet above, developed by mechanical engineering professor Xin Zhang at Boston University and modelled by student Ke Wu, uses metamaterials to create higher quality and faster − therefore also cheaper − magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. … These materials already have various applications including running shoes, but this wearable has the potential to get good images from cheaper, lower-quality MRI machines, making the technology more accessible. Cool.” [Medical Republic]

Eccentric helmet may be the future of brain scans: “We love reporting the latest cutting-edge medical inventions here at The Optimist Daily. This time we want to tell you about a bizarre-looking helmet that has the potential to revolutionize brain scanning. Thanks to the playful design, the piece of headwear looks like it’s straight from a mad scientist’s laboratory, but there is a method to the madness. The helmet is composed of a metamaterial. This means it is made up of many smaller units called resonators, that come together to create a spectacular super network. … The uses of these magnificent metamaterials spread far and wide.” [The Optimist Daily]