Each year, nearly 100 million MRI scans help diagnose and monitor countless diseases. While MRI is safe and radiation-free, the loud noise—often as loud as a heavy metal concert—can cause discomfort for many patients.
This noise is generated by the rapid switching of magnetic fields, which makes the scanner’s gradient coils vibrate due to the Lorentz force. Until now, noise reduction methods have been limited, but Predictive Noise Cancelling introduces a smarter solution.
By analyzing the scanner’s unique acoustic fingerprint during a short calibration at the start of each scan, this technology predicts the noise before it occurs. Using optical microphones, it records the sound response of simple current pulses and builds an individual linear impulse model for each patient and scanner. This allows for real-time generation of anti-noise, played at the patient’s ears with the opposite phase to cancel out the original sound.
This method achieves up to 16 dB noise reduction, significantly improving patient experience without modifying the MRI hardware. It works across a wide range of scan sequences and is a cost-effective solution for both new and existing MRI scanners worldwide.
