Radiologist

4estFeller's mother is a Radiologist.

Cyberknife

A CyberKnife is a robotic system to direct a carefully aimed beam of radiation to destroy a tumor. Radiation therapy works by hitting the cells with high energy sub-atomic particles. This radiation can damage cells by knocking electrons out of biomolecules. If electrons are removed from the DNA backbone, it causes the breakdown of DNA and the death of the cell. Dr. Rajesh Iyer, radiation oncologist with New Jersey CyberKnife and chairman of radiation oncology at Community Medical Center built this CyberKnife for his son.

Dem bones

Apparently making artificial bone is an extremely tedious process, but LEGO can help. Cambridge PhD candidate Daniel Strange, working in the laboratories of Michelle Oyen, has been working on ways to make bone, both for medical applications, but also for potential other materials use. The process involves repeated dipping of an object into various solutions and then rinsing. Daniel wanted to automate this process, but buying a commercial robotics system would be extremely expensive. So he built his own, using Technic pieces and a NXT system to control the whole thing. Be sure to watch the video so you can see it in action.

Anesthesia Delivery Unit

Professional LEGO builder Eric Harshberger made this amazing full-scale replica of an anesthesia delivery unity. This was used by GE Healthcare as a booth exhibit at a trade show.



Here it is next to the real thing.

MRI

MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is based on the same principles as NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) (they changed the name out of concern that patients wouldn't come near something 'nuclear'). Hydrogen atoms have a very small magnetic moment. Normally, these magnetic moments are completely random and cancel out. When placed in a strong external magnetic field, these hydrogen nuclei align either with or against the external field. When these are pulsed with radio wave energy, the tiny atomic magnetic moments flip from low energy state, to high energy state, and then relax back to the low energy state. Since the body is full of water molecules, mapping out the location and density of these molecules (or, more properly, the hydrogen atoms in the H2O), doctors can get a peek inside your skin.