OMM Redaksiyası
Chinese researchers have developed what they say is the world’s smallest computed tomography (CT) scanner. Called “Xtomo-Cube,” the portable device is designed to image the internal structures of small fossils, archaeological artifacts and other sensitive objects.
Developed by Rayim, a company based in Jinan, Shandong Province, the device weighs just 6 kilograms. Measuring approximately 14 by 13 by 22 centimeters, it is about as heavy as a regular grocery bag and can be carried in one hand.
Liu Baodong, Rayim’s general manager and a chief engineer at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the device is the world’s smallest and lightest CT system. The previous record was held by a portable CT scanner developed in Germany that weighed 19 kilograms.
The X-ray source, rotating platform, detector and software inside the “Xtomo-Cube” were developed by Chinese specialists. The device consumes approximately 200 watts of power and can operate outdoors using a standard portable power source.
The device is intended for analyzing small objects such as fossils, archaeological items, snail shells, chicken bones and medicine capsules. It has a spatial resolution of 80 micrometers, roughly equal to the width of a human hair.
The scanner can scan objects up to 16 millimeters in diameter. This capability could allow archaeologists and paleontologists to examine the internal structures of discoveries directly in the field, without transporting them to a laboratory.
The “Xtomo-Cube” could also be used in museum conservation, industrial quality control, pharmaceutical research and materials science. The device has not yet entered commercial production, and researchers are still assessing how effectively it can scan complex objects compared with larger CT systems.
