Open MRI systems have historically been associated with a tradeoff: patient comfort in exchange for image quality. The open architecture meant a permanent magnet, which meant lower field strength, which meant lower signal, which meant compromises in spatial resolution, scan time, and clinical capability. The Fujifilm OASIS Velocity 1.2T was built to fundamentally change that equation — and it is the first system where the tradeoff argument genuinely does not hold.
1.2T: The Highest Field Strength Available in an Open MRI
The OASIS Velocity operates at 1.2 Tesla using a superconducting vertical-field magnet — not a permanent magnet, and not a resistive electromagnet. The vertical magnet design positions the two superconducting coil structures above and below the patient table, leaving the sides of the system fully open. The patient has a clear, unobstructed lateral view throughout the exam.
At 1.2T, the OASIS Velocity provides a signal-to-noise ratio advantage over permanent-magnet open systems operating at 0.3T to 0.7T that translates directly to image quality. The gap between 1.2T and conventional closed-bore 1.5T is meaningful but manageable with the reconstruction and acquisition technologies on the platform. The gap between 1.2T and 0.4T is much larger, and it shows in the images.
Synergy DLR and IP-RAPID: Closing the Field Strength Gap
The OASIS Velocity includes Fujifilm's Synergy DLR deep learning reconstruction as a standard feature. DLR was trained on high-SNR MRI datasets and learns to identify and suppress noise while preserving anatomical detail. Applied to 1.2T acquisitions, DLR recovers a substantial portion of the SNR deficit relative to 1.5T, producing images that are diagnostically competitive across the full range of clinical applications.
IP-RAPID accelerated imaging reduces scan time by up to 60 percent using variable-density k-space undersampling with coil sensitivity-based reconstruction. The combination of DLR noise suppression and IP-RAPID acceleration enables shorter scan times without the noise penalty that standard acceleration would produce — both technologies complementing each other rather than trading one against the other.
HOAST, RADAR, and SoftSound
HOAST (Higher Order Active Shimming Technology) actively measures and compensates for magnetic field inhomogeneity across the imaging volume. For an open MRI system where the magnet geometry is inherently different from a closed bore, maintaining field homogeneity sufficient for spectroscopy, fat suppression, and high-resolution imaging requires sophisticated active shimming. HOAST provides homogeneity levels that support fat-suppressed sequences, chemical shift imaging, and MR spectroscopy.
RADAR (Radial Acquisition Data Reduction) uses a radial k-space trajectory that oversamples the center of k-space, where most of the image contrast information resides. Motion artifacts in radial acquisitions distribute as mild streaks rather than the ghosting artifacts of Cartesian acquisitions, making RADAR sequences substantially more robust in patients who cannot remain completely still. For the open MRI patient population — often anxious, claustrophobic, or elderly patients who tend toward motion — this is a clinically important advantage.
SoftSound acoustic noise reduction minimizes the gradient-switching noise that makes conventional MRI an uncomfortable auditory experience. Combined with the open architecture and the system's 660-pound table weight limit, the OASIS Velocity is genuinely designed around patient comfort without the clinical compromises that open systems have historically required.
Clinical Applications
The OASIS Velocity supports the full range of MRI applications using the Zenith RF 16-channel coil system: neuro (brain and spine), musculoskeletal (joints, soft tissue, extremities), body (abdomen, pelvis, breast), and vascular (with non-contrast MRA capabilities). Cardiac imaging is supported through appropriate gating and dedicated cardiac sequences. The clinical capability matches what a community hospital or outpatient imaging center expects from a 1.5T system — which is precisely the point.
Bottom Line: The OASIS Velocity 1.2T redefines what an open MRI system can be. At 1.2T with Synergy DLR and IP-RAPID, it delivers image quality approaching 1.5T systems while maintaining the fully open architecture that serves claustrophobic, bariatric, and anxious patients. For facilities that have been choosing between patient comfort and image quality, this is the system where that choice no longer exists.
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