Turning magnetic resonance inside out

People undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans must remain within the coils of the scanner’s electromagnet. Otherwise, the patient isn’t in a magnetic field uniform enough to give a good image. Unfortunately, patients often find this situation uncomfortable.

Maybe there’s a better way, say Carlos A. Meriles, Alexander Pines, and their colleagues at Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley.