Overview
- The Ministry of Defence has committed more than £3 million to develop a fully mobile magnetoencephalography scanner to measure brain function in real time after blast exposure.
- The system will be operated by Defence Medical Services under Cyber & Specialist Operations Command and deployed to firing ranges, field hospitals and rehabilitation centres.
- Using quantum OPM‑MEG sensors, the device provides non‑invasive, rapid scans that can detect effects that typically fade within 24–48 hours and are missed by fixed scanners.
- Cerca Magnetics will build the unit with scientists from the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham, with construction support from Magnetic Shields Limited and QuSpin, and it is expected to be operational by 31 March 2026.
- Researchers will study multiple weapon types, track recovery over minutes to days, and generate data to guide safe exposure limits and support wider research into concussion, dementia and epilepsy.