Open-Source CT?
Can you make your own CT scanner? Dr. Jansen has a blog documenting how he did just that and shared it with Make Magazine. It’s really well done and impressive. Unfortunately I have to rain on the party just a bit. I doubt many people are going to be able to replicate this and if they do, keep in mind the image quality is nothing near even the cheapest, commercial system. Not many people will have access to an oscilloscope to tune the detector and I didn’t see where the Barium-133 source was purchased from. I would guess you can’t buy one without a license from your state’s radiation safety department.
We converted a specimen scanner, i.e., a 2D x-ray scanner, into a 3D computed tomography scanner, by adding a very precise motor, to rotate the sample. We reported it here:
HiSStology: high spectral and spatial resolution magnetic resonance imaging detection of vasculature validated by histology and micro-computed tomography.
Mol Imaging. 2011 Jun;10(3):187-96. doi: 10.2310/7290.2010.00033. Epub 2011 Mar 1.
Haney CR, Pelizzari CA, Foxley S, Zamora MA, Mustafi D, Tretiakova M, Li S, Fan X, Karczmar GS.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443840
In Fig 8, you can hopefully see some of the blood vessels and bone. Think of it as looking at a chicken drumstick from the side, with the foot on the right. Contrast that with the very pixelated images of the avocado and bell pepper below. Again, I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I don’t think people should expect to build something comparable to a clinical or pre-clinical CT scanner.
If you want to learn more about CT:
Medical Imaging 101 pt 2: CT
Image sources:
Open-Source CT Scanner via MAKE
The Tricorder Project Blog
#ScienceSunday
h/t Tren C and Jeff G
It is tempting to try to manufacture one! If I had more spare time!
Nikki C yes, copious amounts of free time that people often mention.
Hmm, maybe if I could use other peoples free time…
This is so cool. Open Source enables people to harness and foster new ideas and technologies. Thanks for addressing the limitations Chad Haney . For me, the thrill is the creativity that he brought to the “table” and the opportunity for humanity to access incredible tools, many of which – I think – have been sheltered in proprietary labs for far too long. Now, if we could just harness that free time thing that Nikki C mentioned.
Yes, Michael Davis, I tried not to rain on the Make article too much. Open-source and OpenAccess should foster innovation.
I forgot h/t to Tren C and Jeff G
The tricorder project jumps out at me!
So you are going to build one Tren C?
Hehe yesss that free time thing… actually I have shared the project with another radiographer and lecturer friend of mine. I’m hoping between us we can find some time and use for it.
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Difficulty typing, Sunil Cv or are you using a language that doesn’t display properly for me?
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Ognjen Cvijetinovic, Google translate is failing. I have no idea what your comment says.
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