The shape of the coil no longer determines what you can do with it. Wrap it around a knee for a complete knee image. Move it from that knee to an elbow without having to move the patient. Drape it over the torso of a high BMI patient if you need to. With the adaptive AIR™ Coil that is light, form fitting and easy to position, it’s the closest you can get to total positioning freedom with 360-degree coverage.
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, like being wrapped in a blanket. AIR™ not only behaves like a blanket, it truly feels like one. Its light weight is evenly distributed without any concentrated points of pressure to help patients feel more at ease. From young or claustrophobic patients to professional athletes, AIR™ comfortably conforms to the size and shape of every patient.
From the very beginning, flexibility and versatility were the standards we measured everything we developed against. 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. In the end, we came up with something so fundamentally different than anything else in the industry that there would be no turning back.
It took two separate, but simultaneous research projects to develop the innovative technologies at the heart of AIR™. 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.**
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.
Sometimes the right material can be the linchpin to a breakthrough innovation. For AIR™, 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.
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.
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™ 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.
The adaptive AIR™ Coils are the new standard in coil technology. With simply better versatility, comfort, design and innovation, AIR™ is the transformative way forward for MR.
