Portable MRI Project

2023

Portable MRI Project

For my Mechanical Engineering Capstone project, I am the Project Manager of a group of 8 students paired with startup AxessDr to develop a proof of concept for a portable, affordable, and miniaturized MRI machine.

My role

Project Manager, CAD Designer, Meeting Leader

My skills

Project Management

Engineering Design

SolidWorks

Academic Research

Public Speaking

Machine Shop (laser cutter, water jet)

Since I am under a strict NDA, my ability to go into detail on this project is very limited. I've provided some background below on how an MRI works, and what aspects of the technology my team has elected to tackle up to this point.

How does an MRI work?

All images: Currie S, et al. Postgrad Med J, 2013

We spent a considerable amount of time at the start of the project learning the field of magnetic resonance from its fundamentals. Using that knowledge, we determined the necessary steps to create a functional MRI machine.

Hydrogen atoms in the body align with main magnetic field B0 and precess, or spin around that axis

When introduced to an RF pulse (B1) that is transverse to the initial field, the alignment to swing over 90 degrees

The transverse magnetization vector creates a current (the MR signal)

After the B1 pulse, the time is takes to recover from alignment with B1 and return to alignment with B0 can be interpreted for different human tissue properties

Our team decided that the main magnetic field (B0) is the "critical system" of an MRI machine and this was the focus of the first half of our project.

Specific work is protected under an NDA. Our team designed and manufactured multiple iterations of our solution using SolidWorks, Ansys Magnetostatic, waterjet manufacturing, and laser cutter manufacturing. I'm excited to see where the product goes from here!