Brain Bucket +

(what resembles an odd marriage between Trojan battle gear and Medusa is actually part of the most powerful brain scanner ever made)

The invention of biophysicists Graham Wiggins and Lawrence Wald of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, this $250,000 helmet could enable earlier detection of brain diseases; such as, Alzheimer's.

As with traditional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the device uses magnetic fields to peer beneath bone and tissue. Its super-vision comes from 96 coils arranged on the surface of the helmet like the hexagons and pentagons of a soccer ball.

This configuration minimizes interference between the magnetic fields and enables the device to visualize the brain at a resolution six times that of a conventional MRI and up to 10 times as fast.

—Compiled from
"The Brain Bucket" as seen in Popular Science;
October, 2007; page 46.

Scroll down to see the definitions of the words in bold as shown in this article.

Alzheimer's
A disease marked by the loss of cognitive ability, generally over a period of 10 to 15 years, and associated with the development of abnormal tissues and protein deposits in the cerebral cortex or a disease of the brain.
biophysicist
A scientist who deals with the applications of physics to biological processes and phenomena.
coils
A series of connected spirals or concentric rings formed by gathering or winding; that is, any of various devices of which spirals are the major components.
configuration
The form that is determined by the arrangement of its parts or elements.
conventional
General use, or practice; customary procedure.
detection
The discovery or ascertaining the existence, presence, or fact of something.
device
A contrivance or an invention serving a particular purpose; especially, a machine used to perform one or more relatively simple tasks.
enable
To supply with the means, knowledge, or opportunity to make it possible to do something.
helmet
A head covering of hard material, such as leather, metal, or plastic, worn by football players, firefighters, construction workers, motorcyclists, and others to protect their heads.
hexagons
A polygon (multiple angles) having six sides.
invention
A new device, method, or process developed from study and experimentation.
magnetic resonance imaging: MRI
The use of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to produce electronic images of specific atoms and molecular structures in solids; especially, human cells, tissues, and organs.
pentagons
Polygons (many angles) having five sides and five interior angles.
resolution
A course of action determined or decided to be done.
traditional
The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation; especially, by word of mouth or by practice.

See more topics of interest at this INDEX of Words at Work in the Media.