Skills:
Fusion 360
Parametric Modelling
Collaborative Design
Ergonomics
3D Printing

Design a 48 Channel Shim Coil model by incorporating existing work, professional opinions, engineering principles, and modular design.

MRI technology has notable room for improvement. Cavities and irregularities in the human skull cause distortions in the induced magnetic field that prevent accurate images from being captured. The goal of the local shim coil is to correct the magnetic field to cancel out any distortions caused by human anatomy. In order to do so, however, an array of inductive loops must be positioned in close proximity to the head, taking care to overlap the loops appropriately to prevent coupling. In order to position these loops, the physical model for the helmet requires indication points for loop centers.

Throughout the design of the helmet surfaces, advice and requests from the expert researchers were taken into account alongside engineering principles in order to deliver a helmet surface that was functional, ergonomic, and highly adaptable. The helmet incorporates many structural elements to route wiring, support PCBs, and register with its associated parts. Due to the nature of the MRI, the use of components that were even slightly magnetic—diamagnetic, paramagnetic, or otherwise—was to be completely avoided. As such, where fasteners were needed, the helmet was designed around nylon bolts and brass threaded inserts. If an area was to be permanently affixed, registration was made for epoxy instead of fasteners.