Cheaper, smaller medical monitors on the horizon

New York Times : An advance in magnetometer technology is opening a new realm of medical uses for the devices. Current magnetometers, devices that can be used to measure magnetic fields generated by electrical impulses in the body, require cryogenic cooling, making them large and expensive. New devices, being developed by NIST, are the size of sugar cubes. The researchers believe that this will make it possible to create easy-to-wear devices to monitor the progression of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or to incorporate them into helmets to monitor athletes for trauma. Another group, from the University of Wisconsin, is using similar small magnetometers to spot abnormalities in the hearts of developing fetuses.