Magnetocardiography is a sparsely used technology that relies on detecting faint magnetic fields to evaluate the heart in a completely non-invasive fashion. This is done using superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) that require very cold temperatures and a specially shielded room, and therefore cost a lot of money to buy and operate. Now researchers at Tohoku University in Japan working in collaboration with Konica Minolta have created a magnetic sensor that works at room temperature and that’s capable of detecting the changes of magnetic field of a person’s heart.
The technology uses a tunnel magnetoresistance device that has great sensitivity, and therefore does not require a specially shielded room to be constructed. The researchers hope that this will make magnetocardiography a common heart assessment modality that can be used in a typical hospital setting.
Source: Tohoku University…