Have you ever had to get an MRI scan at any point in your life? Take it from someone who's had several throughout his life; it can be pretty harrowing.
MRIs, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is the process of using magnetic fields to take pictures of the inside of your anatomy, and it's a fairly common medical procedure in this day and age. Of course, it's a medical procedure that entails you lying in an incredibly loud, claustrophobic tube for upwards of half an hour (or longer) without being able to move. Did we mention that part?
Suffice it to say, if you're in any way claustrophobic or uneasy about not being able to move for over half an hour, the process of getting one of these done can feel like an absolute nightmare. While hospitals try to make the experience better by letting people listen to music during it, plenty of people, especially kids, would probably rather gnaw their own legs off than endure this.
Well apparently GE Healthcare feels the same way, because the company have developed a new type of MRI system designed to take kids on an adventure...
Originally developed in a partnership between GE Healthcare and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, the Adventure Series is a bunch of different medical machines that have themes meant to captivate children and make going through these procedures as fun as possible.
Getting an MRI scan becomes a trip into space onboard a giant ship complete with roaring engines, while a CT scan becomes a perilous voyage to Pirate Island. They've even made themes specific to the area they're made for; San Francisco gets one related to cable cars.
It's a pretty great idea that is already seeing results: children have legitimately enjoyed getting to play pretend during these medical procedures, and the technicians are even getting in on the fun by dressing up and joining in!
Would you rather take a ride on a space ship or a pirate ship than have to get another medical scan? I know I sure would!