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Additional Context
University of Southern California (USC) researchers have developed flexible, 3D printed MRI sensors that can be custom-made for individual infants and children in under 10 minutes for about $30, producing roughly four times the image contrast of standard commercial coils in testing.
Solving a Fit Problem for Small Patients
MRI machines rely on coils that act as antennas, picking up signals generated by the body’s response to magnets and radio waves. The tighter a coil fits around the area being scanned, the clearer the resulting image. Most coils, however, are built in standard adult sizes, and a poor fit around a small or rapidly growing body can weaken the signal and blur the image. Custom equipment has traditionally been the fix, but it can cost thousands of dollars and take months or