Experience freedom

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    • Flexible to fit all sizes, shapes and ages
    • Highest channel count and coverage in the industry

AIRx™: Intelligent MR slice prescription

design

Every time we found ourselves starting to
compromise, we started over

  • DREAM: Flexibility or nothing

    From the very beginning, flexibility was the standard we measured everything we developed against. Anything less than a completely flexible coil was considered unacceptable.

  • INNOVATE: Everything inside had to change

    There was simply no room for bulky or lumped components. That meant we had to rethink all of the interior electronics to come up with a solution that took up less space and worked more efficiently.

  • ITERATE: Fine tuning to perfection

    After the initial prototype, we challenged ourselves to go one step further by making something that was elegant, yet functional with image quality that could rival, or potentially exceed traditional coils. In the end, we came up with something so fundamentally different than anything else in the industry that there would be no turning back.

  • PROTOTYPE: The breakthrough of getting everything to work together

    Our first working prototype was a simple, four-channel coil pieced together completely by hand. Even though it was only a glimmer of what AIR Technology™ would eventually be, once we demonstrated how it worked, its potential captured the imaginations of our peers.

AIR Technology™ Behind the Scenes Film

Technology
technology

This simple loop breaks every mold

It took two separate, but simultaneous research projects to develop the innovative technologies at the heart of AIR Technology™. Together, they consolidate the functionality of the coil for efficiency. This simplified design is the basis for a revolutionary coil that is lighter, offers more flexibility and provides greater coverage.*

  • E-mode electronics
    Its small size is its biggest strength

    Housed within this miniaturized module are some of the most advanced coil electronics ever developed. Our proprietary E-mode electronics reduce current noise, boost linearity and improve tolerance to varying coil loading conditions. It makes the most out of every centimeter to reduce component volume by more than 60 percent.

  • Conductor loop
    Flexibility that's way ahead of the curve

    Sometimes the right material can be the linchpin to a breakthrough innovation. For AIR Technology™, it was the conductor material for the loop. Lightweight and bendable, this series of linked resonators replaces what used to be rigid circuit boards and lumped components. It’s the flexible core of our form fitting coil design.

It turns out you can out-engineer conventional wisdom

Developing a light, flexible loop is one thing, but finding a way to control loop-to-loop interactions was no small feat of engineering. Because of the low profile and performance of the E-mode electronics module, we were able to place it right at the base of each loop where it can better control the surrounding magnetic and electric fields. This allowed us to break free from critical overlap restrictions and arrange elements closer together.


  • Industry highest channel
    count for AA coils

  • Improves parallel
    acceleration*

  • Increases signal-to-noise
    ratio and reduces
    imaging artifacts*

  • Simple, more durable design*

  • Improves signal quality
    by bringing the elements
    closer to the patient*

  • Streamlines and optimizes scan setup with AIR Touch™
Comfort
comfort

Like being wrapped in a blanket

We wanted to design a coil that would free patients from the experience of traditional coils by replacing that experience with one that is both comfortable and comforting. For inspiration, we turned to objects that bring us comfort in our own lives. Using these objects as our guide, we designed AIR Technology™ to provide a feeling of warmth and security. Like being wrapped in a blanket.

Form fitting for every form



From young patients to professional athletes, AIR Technology™ comfortably conforms to the size and shape of every patient. Not only does this improve the scan experience, it has the added benefit of improving image quality by bringing the elements closer to your patient.

Light to the touch


AIR Technology™ not only behaves like a blanket, it truly feels like one. Its light weight is evenly distributed without any concentrated points of pressure. This may help patients feel more at ease, especially those who struggle with claustrophobia. It can comfortably be placed over sensitive areas and it’s light enough to use with young patients.
Positioning
positioning

Welcome everyone with a faster, more
comfortable experience

Technologists are faced with the challenge of keeping patients calm and relaxed through an unfamiliar experience, which often requires putting them into awkward positions. AIR Technology™ improves this experience with a coil that is light, form fitting and easy to position, so you can greet your patients with a faster, more comfortable exam.

  • Clearly marked guides

    Positioning an AIR Technology™ Coil is as easy as putting it on. Once you have it in position, just make sure the anatomy-of-interest falls within the outline on the surface of the coil and you’re ready to image.

  • No snapping or locking

    For most positions, the weight of the coil is enough to hold it in place. It conforms to your patient’s body without the use of any snaps or latches to attach it to the table. Not only is it easier to position, it reduces the number of high-wear components that are prone to breaking over time. For difficult-to-image areas, the straps are readily available to help secure the coil in position.

  • Ultra-low profile

    Each AIR Technology™ Coil is less than half of an inch thick when laid flat. Its low profile leaves more room inside the bore, which gives you more room for larger patients and makes it less claustrophobic for all patients.

  • Space-saving design

    AIR Technology™ Coils are easy to store. Just fold them up and tuck them away in the coil cabinet. And their flexible design makes them cross-functional, so you can save even more space by reducing your total number of coils.

Just holding these coils will inspire new ways to image

With AIR Technology™, the shape of the coil no longer determines what you can do with it. You can put them right where you want them. Wrap it around a knee for a complete knee image. Or drape it over the torso of a high BMI patient. You can even move it from a hip to a knee on the same patient without having to move them. It’s the closest we’ve come to total positioning freedom.

  • AIR Technology™ Setting Up For an Abdominal or Pelvic Exam

  • AIR Technology™ Setting Up For a Unilateral and Bilateral Hip Exam

  • AIR Technology™ Setting Up For a Knee Exam

  • AIR Technology™ Setting Up For a Long Bone Exam

  • AIR Technology™ at ERASMUS MC, Rotterdam, NL

Ready to know

AIR Touch™ is part of our collection of intelligent patient recognition solutions. It’s predictive and proactive. It knows which coils are in place, which elements to use and how best to optimize them for each patient. By the time you’re ready to scan, you already know you’re going to get the best image possible for your patient.


images

Get closer to what you need to see

Since the very first MR, coils have been both a bridge and a barrier between radiologists and what they need to see. The flexibility of AIR Technology™ makes it less of a barrier. By bringing the elements closer to the area-of-interest, it improves image quality. It also opens up opportunities to image patient types and anatomies that previously were challenging to image with conventional coil designs.
  • HyperBand DTI FiberTraks fused with
    HyperSense 3D TOF
    Volume rendering
  • 3D TOF with HyperSense with 48ch Head Coil
    0.3 x 0.3 x 0.5 mm
    No interpolation
  • Sagittal T2 HyperCube / HyperSense
    0.8 mm isotropic, total scan time: 3:42 min
  • Sagittal T2 frFSE
    380 x 260, 3 mm slice, 3:00 min
    with 48ch Head Coil in combination with
    the AIR Technology™ Anterior Array
  • Anterior Array image – coil wrapped
    Sagittal PD FSE
    1024 x 768, 2.5 mm slices, 3:28 min
  • Anterior Array image - coil wrapped
    Coronal PD FatSat FSE
    416 x 256, 3 mm slice, 3:06 min
  • Posterior Array and Anterior Array image
    – coil wrapped
    Coronal PD FatSat FSE
    320 x 288, 2.5 mm slice
  • Prostate
    Axial T2 FSE
  • Female pelvis scanned in the decubitus position
  • Coronal MUSE of the kidneys
future

We can’t think of anything it can’t do

It’s amazing what’s possible when you don’t compromise on design. With the introduction of these new coils, we are only just beginning to discover all that AIR Technology™ can do. We already have some exciting future applications in the works. What’s more, this amazing technology won’t be limited to one system. Look for AIR Technology™ on more GE Healthcare MR systems coming soon.
Future

*Compared to previous generations of conventional coil technology

JB62248XX