Lorne W Hofstetter1, J Rock Hadley1, Robb Merrill1, and Dennis L Parker1
1Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
1Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
A novel direct current electromagnetic motor design that can safely operate inside the MR scanner bore was developed, tested, and characterized. This new actuator technology may help enable robotic assisted interventions under MR-guidance.
Figure 1. Diagram of a standard permanent magnet DC motor in (a) and an MR-compatible electromagnetic motor in (b). The magnetic components in (a) are labeled in red. The corresponding functional elements for the MR-compatible motor are labeled as blue in (b).
Figure 2. Images of MR safe DC motor and assembly are shown. The major motor components are shown in (a). An exploded view of the rotor, commutators, and end cap assembly is shown in (b). The assembled motor is shown in (c) with the twisted and shielded power supply cables shown in (d).