Huami: MRI scanner

2021: The announcement of the world's smallest MRI scanner

In mid-July 2021, Huami, best known for Amazfit's smart watch brand, introduced the world's smallest MRI scanner. According to Huami developers, this device will be the first portable MRI scanner in the world.

A conventional MRI scanner is a large diagnostic device for which a separate room is traditionally allocated in a medical center or hospital. Such devices cannot be transported due to their large size and weight. Huami intends to change these ideas about MRI scanners by releasing a new device. According to the manufacturer, the new scanner is 1.5 meters high, covers an area of ​ ​ less than 2 m ² and weighs less than 800 kg. This is the lightest MRI scanner - the former record holder weighed about 6.8 tons, and heavier models reach a weight of 37 tons with a height of 2.5 meters and an occupied area of ​ ​ up to 35 m ².

Introduced the world's smallest MRI scanner from Huami

Huami developers say that the new MRI scanner does not need a specially shielded room, which reduces the cost of installation. The device also has a low power consumption (average value is 1 kW) compared to current scanners consuming from 50 to 120 kW. The new MRI scanner also boasts high-quality imaging. Compared to traditional MRI scanners, the difference in signal-to-noise ratio is about 300 units, the developers said.

So far, the timing of the launch of the new model and its price have not been disclosed, but potential buyers have already expressed the hope that the world's first MRI scanner will be cheaper than many traditional models.

In addition to the scanner, Huami also announced a PumpBeats application for monitoring blood pressure, which will work with wearable devices, such as a smart watch. The application will be included in the new Zepp OS, which is a lightweight OS (55 MB in total) based on the open source microkernel of the FreeRTOS.^[1]

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