Innovation spotlight: The technological revolution behind BlueSeal MR

When did Philips first introduce MR technology, and what were the early challenges? 

Matthew: Philips started MR technology and system developments in 1978. By 1985, Philips had launched the S15 MR system (1) – one of the first 1.5 tesla MR systems commercially available. Tesla is the unit of magnetic field strength; high tesla values mean stronger magnets and more detailed images. Those early systems were very large, heavy and required specialized infrastructure and vast amounts of liquid helium to maintain the required superconductivity. By the early 2000s, MR was the biggest consumer of helium and was becoming a significant economical and logistical concern. This prompted us to look at ways that we could innovate to be able to mitigate these concerns in the future.

Paul: Early MR magnets required vast amounts of helium to generate magnetic fields, making installation restrictive and expensive. This wasn’t just due to the weight of the system, sites needed quench pipes – critical safety systems that vent super-cooled helium gas outdoors during emergency "quench" events, when superconducting magnets lose superconductivity and liquid helium rapidly converts to high-pressure gas that must be vented outdoors to avoid release into the building. We decided there must be a way to reduce these complexities by minimizing helium use within the systems themselves.

What technical challenges did you overcome to develop a fully sealed magnet – how did you know it was a success? 

Matthew: Bringing this product to life required a paradigm shift across the whole MR business. Almost every magnet component needed to be redesigned to transition from helium bath to sealed cooling systems. We developed entirely new manufacturing processes, established new suppliers, and outlined a new service approach.  In total, it represented a revolutionary change to designing and building superconducting magnets, and it required an exceptional cross functional team to pull it off.

Paul: All major MR vendors had announced research into helium-free technology, but we were determined to lead. In 2014, we achieved our breakthrough.  We had created a fully-sealed magnet – BlueSeal – that provides a magnetic field while eliminating helium consumption and the need for quench pipes entirely. A necessary criterion for launching the product was to ensure magnet uptime performance. We developed simulation models to evaluate multiple possible failure mode scenarios. From the insights gained, we developed a supporting system architecture that would ensure the system remained maximally cooled, under all foreseeable events, to maintain superconductivity and ensure uptime.

Matthew: Aside from all the technical challenges of the magnet design itself, one of the biggest hurdles in integration of the sealed magnet with the rest of the MRI system was with the gradient coil. Interactions between the magnet and gradient coil generate heat, and sealed systems have thermal limits. There were countless problems that needed to be solved, but my proudest moment was successfully energizing a sealed magnet to field for the first time – a testament to the many years of our amazing team’s hard work.

What more did you do to bring this technology to market – what are the benefits?  

Matthew: In 2015, we took the next step: redesigning the magnet’s internal structure and reducing its weight by 1000kg. In 2018, we launched BlueSeal 1.5T systems (3) and since then, we’ve installed over 2000 helium-free systems worldwide. These innovations make it straightforward to install BlueSeal 1.5T systems in any building, anywhere – even resource-limited locations. The next advancement was the mobile MR in 2024 (4). This journey shows how a bold vision, combined with technical expertise and perseverance, can lead to groundbreaking, industry-redefining advancements.

Paul: An entire MR system is extremely complex, requiring significant hardware and software solutions. By eliminating helium dependency, we’ve brought MR closer to patients for early diagnosis and better health outcomes. We created systems with quieter scans, combined with AI-based reconstructions to produce shorter examinations with high image quality and comfort – increasing access to care even further for more patients.

This breakthrough is a major scientific step forward, supporting fast, precise imaging of complex structures like the brain and muscles. By combining breakthroughs in hardware with AI-powered software, this pivotal advance in MR innovation will provide high-resolution imaging for research and the most complex clinical cases. BlueSeal Horizon 3.0T demonstrates a decisive leap forward in precision imaging, AI-enabled workflow intelligence, and long-term sustainable system design (6).