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Scientific exhibition poster and Journal front cover illustration
For the Nottingham University Biomedical Hearing Research Unit
School of
Medicine
MRI NOISE REDUCTION -
Bringing an engineering solution to market
Professors Alan Palmer and Deb Hall and the MRC Institute of Hearing Research team
T
SUMMARY
2009
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is extremely
noisy and can damage hearing.
Innovative engineering has led to the development
of headphones that reduce this unpleasant ambient
noise and enable free conversation between
patients and clinicians. Licensed to Optoacoustics
Ltd the resulting OptoActive™ active noisecancelling headphones are the only ones of their
type commercially available.
2012
I
Jan: Results of careful psychoacoustic testing of people
within the scanner demonstrated excellent sound
reduction, improved audibility and enhanced ability to
detect sound-related brain activity.
2008
A licensing agreement provided Optoacoustics Ltd with
the mechanical design, hardware and software of the
prototype. Over the next four years the company devoted
considerable resources to turn MRC IHR’s proof-of-concept
work into a commercial system.
2006
M
Feb: Dr Yuvi Kahana, CEO of Optoacoustics Ltd, visited
the University of Nottingham to experience the fully
operational prototype.
Full prototype noise reduction system installed at the
Philips 3 Tesla MR scanner, Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic
Resonance Centre.
Sale
s
IMPACT
from
to S USA
o
Koreuth
a
Optoacoustics system brought to market
In 2012, the OptoActive™ system was cleared for
marketing in the US by the federal Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). Clearance enables broader
sales and distribution of this unique flagship device.
Optoacoustics’ CEO Dr. Yuvi Kahana said,
“The FDA clearance for our leading medical
division products opens up an exciting new era for
Optoacoustics. I expect that we’ll see very keen
interest from MR professionals in the US. Now they
can dramatically expand their research and work
more efficiently without EPI noise.”
Since launch, six systems have been installed
worldwide and 10 major orders received from
companies in the USA, Germany, Belgium, South
Korea, Finland and Israel.
E
KEY OUTPUTS
Foster JR, Hall DA, Summerfield AQ, Palmer AR, Bowtell RW
(2000) J. of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Chambers J, Akeroyd MA, Summerfield AQ, Palmer AR (2001)
J. of the Acoustical Society of America
Chambers J, Bullock D, Kahana Y, Kots A, Palmer AR (2007)
Applied Acoustics
Hall DA, Chambers J, Foster J, Akeroyd MA, Coxon R, Palmer
AR (2009) J. of the Acoustical Society of America
Blackman G, Hall DA (2011) J. of Speech, Language and
Hearing Research
Talavage TM, Hall DA (2012) NeuroImage Special issue
“Twenty Years of Functional MRI: The Science and the Stories”
The noise cancelling algorithm captures the sound
generated by the MR scanner and turns it into
a cancellation signal which adds destructively
with the noise at the listener’s ear. The temporal
predictability of the MR scanner noise is critical
to the success of active noise control.
Effect of Active Noise Cancellation
Main scanner noise
at 130 dB SPL
Scanner noise after
cancellation
Difference
Underpinning research
Collaborating with MR physicists we have
established the University of Nottingham as a
world-leading centre for auditory functional
magnetic resonance imaging.
2003
Philips 3 Tesla MR scanner installed at
Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance
Centre, University of Nottingham. Palmer and
Hall co-applicants in the £1 million grant.
2001
L
Dec: Early implementation of the prototype
system evaluated in the laboratory, using
a noise-generating loudspeaker as the
‘MR scanner’.
2000
July: We demonstrated that for some types
of MRI scan, the noise level can reach 130
dB sound pressure levels. This is as loud as a
military jet taking-off and is dangerous to hearing.
An MRI scanner can sound as loud as a military jet taking off.
1999
I
6 rch
a
Resepers
Pa
HOW DOES IT
WORK?
Sept: Optoacoustics formally launched the fully wireless
IMROC system at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
May: Optoacoustics’ OptoActive™ system cleared for
marketing in the US.
June: A technical specification of this early
prototype was presented at the Fourth
International Conference on Functional Mapping
of the Human Brain in Montreal.
The prototype (left) combined industrial ear defenders (centre) with
electrostatic headphones (right).
The headset provides very high quality
audio with a good frequency response.
The ear-defenders attenuate the
scanner sounds by up to 40dB.
N
E
1998
April: Palmer initiated the
development of innovative
hardware and software
technologies at MRC
IHR, using digital signal
processing.
Alan Palmer
Deb Hall
Sept: MRC IHR contacted
Optoacoustics Ltd. The
company provided optical
microphones which were
incorporated into the early
research prototype.
Optical microphone
COLLABORATORS
MRC Institute of Hearing
Research, Nottingham
Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic
Resonance Imaging Centre,
University of Nottingham
National Institute for Health
Research Nottingham Hearing
Biomedical Research Unit,
University of Nottingham
MRC Technology Transfer
group
Optoacoustics Ltd, Mazor, Israel
ISSN 0378-5955
Hearing Research
Volume 307, January 2014
Special Issue
Human Auditory Neuroimaging
Guest Editors
Deborah Hall
Dave R.M. Langers
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