November 14, 2012 — Royal Philips Electronics has launched in China the first ever digital broadband MR, Ingenia. At a launch ceremony themed “Definition of Digital MR, The Future of Imaging” hundreds of foreign and Chinese experts and scholars in imaging and clinical applications gathered together to discuss the digitization trend of MR (magnetic resonance) and the clinical performance of Ingenia in neuro, body and cardiac applications.
Since clinical application of MR, it has attracted wide attention from medical research communities, healthcare institutions and patients at large, thanks to its safety, accuracy and broad applicability. The world's first digital broadband MR innovatively integrates digital coil design, digital coil interface and digital transferring throughout the whole process. Philips is the first company to break down the technological barriers of digitally collecting data at the source and free itself from the conventional MR constraint imposed by simulated signals, resulting in image quality that is 100 percent based on original imaging signals. Compared with conventional MR, the digital broadband MR enjoys up to 40 percent single-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement and is the most accurate ultra-high-field MR.
“There is a universal consensus in the academic and healthcare communities that ‘digital’ MRI is a leading technology that represents the future,” said Peter Luijten from Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
"China's current healthcare conditions require hospitals to have medical equipment that can both satisfy clinical needs and enhance patient experience and equipment efficiency," said Guo Qiyong, vice president of China Medical University and president of its affiliated Shengjing Hospital. "We expect the Philips Ingenia to be able to meet the diversified needs."
For patients that suffer from claustrophobia, the 70-cm bore of the digital MR can, to some extent, alleviate their anxiety. Patients can have the whole body scanned within one minute and the image generated with high SNR and resolution, thanks to the 70-cm bore scanner’s best homogeneity with shortest magnet and 55-cm FOV, the largest in the industry, thus raising the throughput by 30 percent. In addition, its digital coil design makes for flexible combination of all coils to suit the position of patients, which simplifies the workflow and brings more comfort to patients.
"We are extremely excited about the release of Ingenia, which is the embodiment of an innovative Philips. Following the 'People Focused' concept, we have been committed to providing hospitals with improved solutions and patients with a comfortable environment for examination so that a harmonious relationship can be forged between hospitals and patients. Ingenia is a combination of optimized core MR technologies by Philips. It is our belief that the digital concept will be leading the coming decade for MR," said Desmond Thio, president of Philips Healthcare Greater China.
Expansion of clinical capabilities is especially essential for advanced clinical and research needs. However, expandability of the conventional MR platform is often limited by the number of RF channels. The Philips "Channel Independence" on Ingenia enables expansion and enhancement of clinical capabilities without upgrading system RF, which reduces additional cost of the equipment for users. More than 400 units of Ingenia have been installed around the world.
For more information: www.healthcare.philips.com
March 09, 2026 
