Researchers are set to build a fully mobile magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanner with the backing of the UK government to assess the impact of blast exposure on military personnel in real time during training.
The scanner, said to be the first of its kind in the world will be based on quantum technology. It will enable researchers to observe changes in brain activity within minutes following a blast and monitor how personnel recover over time.
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To be deployed in military firing ranges, field hospitals and rehabilitation centres, the mobile laboratory will allow “evidence-based decision making” to support safety of service personnel, according to a statement from the UK’s Cyber & Specialist Operations Command on 2 December 2025.
Cerca Magnetics, a spin-out company from the University of Nottingham, will build the system in collaboration with UK-based Magnetic Shields, US-based QuSpin, and the University of Nottingham School of Physics.
The team expects to have the MEG brain scanner system operational by 31 March 2026.
The system will be initially employed by the Defence Medical Services within Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, alongside scientists from the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham.
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By GlobalDataThis MEG brain scanner project is funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) with an investment of more than £3m ($3.9m).
UK Veterans and People Minister Louise Sandher-Jones said: “The safety of our personnel is a top priority. Thanks to technologies like this, even subtle physical changes are now becoming detectable, and we will get crucial insights that simply weren’t possible before, improving decision-making and vital protections for our forces.”
The technology behind the scanner is based on quantum principles and has been in development for a decade, backed by the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme.
The programme is funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the MoD.
The MEG brain scanner is designed to conduct rapid scans, offering objective assessments of changes in brain function, and supporting decisions regarding safe return to duty.
By studying the effects of different weapon types and monitoring recovery patterns, the system aims to identify personnel at higher risk and determine evidence-based exposure limits.
University of Nottingham physics professor and Cerca magnetics chairman Matthew Brookes said: “This new generation of MEG lifts limitations that have historically confined scanners to universities, paving the way for mobile systems that can be taken directly to those who will benefit most.”
