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A new VR app is helping children prepare for MRI scans

A new VR app is helping children prepare for MRI scans
A new VR app is helping children prepare for MRI scans A new VR app is helping children prepare for MRI scans

A virtual reality app created by a London hospital is being used to help children prepare for an MRI scan.

The app, called My MRI At King’s, gives users a 360-degree view of what it’s like to be inside an MRI machine.

(Anthony Devlin/PA)

It is being used by King’s College Hospital to prepare children for the experience by enabling them to sample what happens during a scan virtually.

The app was created by MRI physicist Jonathan Ashmore, who worked with staff at the hospital to employ it as a resource for children before they go for a scan, an experience the hospital said can be “daunting” for many.

“I was given a 360-degree camera as a present, and I wanted to use it to help anxious children I see come into the hospital,” Ashmore said.

“As an MRI physicist, putting the camera inside the scanner seemed like the most logical place to start.”

The app is available as a free download for Android smartphones and is coming soon to Apple’s iOS operating system.

(Anna Gowthorpe/PA)

Matthew Down, a 10-year-old patient at King’s College Hospital who requires annual MRI scans following brain surgery, said the app had helped prepare him for the experience.

“I was really worried before my first scan because I didn’t know what to expect, even though my dad explained I couldn’t imagine what it would be like,” he said.

“I think that the app is really helpful as it shows you what to expect and it really feels like you are inside the machine.”