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Medical physics

Medical physics

Quantum brainwave: using wearable quantum technology to study cognitive development

10 Sep 2024 Hamish Johnston

Electrical impulses allow us to think, feel and form memories. Mapping these signals in the brain can be used to study cognitive development and disease. Margot Taylor and David Woolger talk to Hamish Johnston about using quantum-sensing technology to build a wearable system for imaging brain activity

A technician fits a scanning helmet onto a patient who is sat upright in front of a monitor
Use your head A quantum-based magnetic sensor has been used to build a wearable brain scanner. By sensing the tiny magnetic field generated by electrical impulses from neurons, Cerca Magnetics’ OPM-MEG technology can map the function of the brain. This helmet-based sensor is less bulky and more mobile than alternative imaging methods. (Courtesy: University of Nottingham School of Physics and Astronomy/Simon Litherland)
Though she isn’t a physicist or an engineer, Margot Taylor has spent much of her career studying e

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