Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect?

Re:Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect? by baking on Sunday July 30, 2023 @11:24AM (#36932151)

Sorry, but "portable MRIs" makes no sense. Current high-temperature superconductors (HTS) can probably get you from 3 Tesla to 6 Tesla for commercial MRIs which means better resolution. But you still need magnets large enough to enclose a human body and the structural materials (steel) to withstand the magnetic forces. Also you need to keep the machine clear of metal objects or you have to shut down and restart the magnets which contain so much energy that it has to be released slowly and is a long and involved process.

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Re:Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect? by Kerb_ on Sunday July 30, 2023 @02:51PM (#36934634)

It's pretty recent, but I see no reason something like this couldn't be iterated on? https://hyperfine.io/swoop/overview

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Re:Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect? by mikewarot on Sunday July 30, 2023 @03:07PM (#36934796)

I came to mention the same device

Even without superconductors, advances in permanent magnets make some innovation practical. Here's an article about a portable MRI that sells for $250,000[1]

[1] https://www.science.org/content/article/mri-all-cheap-portab...

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Re:Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect? by baking on Monday July 31, 2023 @11:37AM (#36944254)

Swoop is 5 gauss which is 0.0005 tesla. Compare that with my last MRI which was 3.0 tesla. It seems be used for some kind of brain imaging, neuroactivity, etc. but it won't be replacing regular MRI machines. HST magnets will get you 6 tesla MRIs in the next decade or two.

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Re:Ask HN: Room temperature superconductor: what to expect? by traverseda on Sunday July 30, 2023 @02:54PM (#36934664)

A lot of options open up when you cam have an array of smaller magnets I think.

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