Optoacoustics' FOMRI-III optical microphone now available for use in fMRI environments

Optoacoustics has announced availability of the FOMRI-III(TM) dual channel microphone, the most advanced optical microphone available for use in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) environments.

The third generation FOMRI represents a major step forward for fiber optic microphone technology, providing the clearest speech quality ever, with low-latency adaptive noise cancelling. The FOMRI-III also introduces the ability to synchronize speech in real time with TTL signal outputs. Finally, the latest FOMRI sets a new standard for simplicity of installation and operation.

"FOMRI-III is the ultimate fMRI microphone," said Yuvi Kahana, CEO of Optoacoustics at the Radiological Society of North America 2009 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago. "Now MRI researchers and doctors can hear precisely what is being said in the bore during a scan, as well as synchronize real-time speech to TTL signals."

Using the FOMRI-III - for the first time - researchers will be able to precisely measure latency in the human brain during fMRI studies. "The microphone makes it possible to measure in a resolution of micro-seconds the timing delay between a fMRI subject's receipt of visual or other cues and his or her verbal response," Kahana noted. "This kind of clear, accurate measurement is important to progress in brain research."

Since its introduction, FOMRI has become the industry-standard microphone for MRI research and clinical settings. The FOMRI's fiber optic microphone technology enables high quality speech recording in spite of gradient noise and is invisible to MR equipment, making it completely safe to use. The FOMRI is already used in hundreds of research centers and hospitals worldwide and is cited widely.

With a frequency range of 50-20,000 Hz, a dynamic range of 100 dB, and three selectable noise reduction modes of up to 40 dB, FOMRI-III now provides the highest quality solution available for MRI speech reproduction and recording in real-time.

FOMRI and other Optoacoustics products can be seen at Booth 1202 in Lakeside Center, Hall D at RSNA 2009.