That could take a few more years. The new machine can be used only on the head, neck or joints. But about 90 percent of all MRI scans target those body parts, Mr. Conolly says. The device could also be ideal for biotechnology companies that need a low-cost MRI scanner to use on animals rather than sacrificing them to discover the outcome of research, he adds. Dr. Gold, a radiologist, says this low-cost MRI could make scans available in physicians' offices to be read by radiologists onsite or over the Internet.
Most scanners are at hospitals or in very large medical groups.
The five-member team's approach was to use two inexpensive resistive magnets instead of one large superconducting magnet. MRIs expose the human body to a strong magnetic field. Today's MRIs use magnets strong enough to pick up cars. Some elements, including hydrogen atoms inside water and body fat, respond to a strong magnetic field. Once the magnet has caused hydrogen atoms to line up, the MRI creates a magnetic signal.