New technology could shrink bulky MRI machines

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines are crucial tools for medical care—but even after decades of use, its underlying superconductors still have their drawbacks. Most MRI machines today rely on powerful magnets built from huge coils of copper and niobium-tin alloy that make for extremely bulky and expensive machines. Because of this, the screening equipment is generally relegated to larger, well-funded hospitals with specialized areas to house an MRI system.

With some help from machine learning (ML), however, researchers at King’s College London collaborated with multiple Japanese universities to design a new, much cheaper iron-based superconducting magnet that requires less energy to run. The novel prototype, detailed in a new study published June 7 in NPG Asia Materials, is 2.7-times more powerful than previous iron variants, and the first of its kind to meet stringent MRI machine requirements for stability and strength. With additional fine-tuning, similar magnets could also one day find their way into nuclear fusion facilities, electric aircraft, and maglev trains.