AIR Technology™ is an industry-leading coil suite designed to truly conform to the human body. It was inspired by the desire to challenge the longtime limitations of traditional rigid coils.
By mimicking universal experiences that bring us all comfort and security, the AIR Technology™ coil suite is both comforting and comfortable. Each coil is lightweight, flexible and just like a blanket, they closely wrap around your patient for incredible image quality.
We set our sights on the highest attainable goal for coil design. Lightweight and ultra-flexible. It required a completely
new approach, but with so many possibilities for coil interference, it was easy to fall back into the trap of conventional designs.
Our product development team took a “never compromise” approach to stay focused when faced with a new challenge. And we
didn’t stop until we got it right.
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.*
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 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.
01 Revolutionary coil
02 Industry-leading
03 360 degrees
04 Weighs less than
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.
Highest channel
Industry highest channel
count for AA coils
Improves parallel
Improves parallel
acceleration*
Increases signal-to-noise
Increases signal-to-noise
ratio and reduces
imaging artifacts*
Simple more
Simple, more durable design*
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
*Compared to previous generations of conventional coil technology
