So far, one of the major obstacles to the development of special purpose MRI imaging apparatus has been the lack of a magnetic technology that could cater to the need for a light, compact and efficient magnet, capable of providing the required field uniformity at a reasonable cost. Today, recent advances in magnet design permit attaining, with the use solely of ferrite, low-cost, small-scale scanners, which can open up new areas of application of MRI, in both medical and industrial fields. A novel apparatus (ARTOSCAN(TM)) is described and some examples of applications in different fields are shown. The apparatus has been designed specifically for the imaging of extremities, but possible applications on the industrial side are numerous and not yet all identified. Such a device could be used, for example, in the agricultural, food, and oil industries, where some of the needs for nondestructive quality-control devices could be fulfilled. Some tests have been performed that demonstrate the potential of the apparatus in the study of rock properties, of the drying process of pasta and wood, and to display flaws that could be present in ceramic materials before firing.
