Case study
Building an open source MRI scanner
Coordinated by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and funded by the EU, 19 different organizations and institutes are working to develop an open source MRI scanner.
www.ptb.de
For our project, it was important to use an open source tool for collaborating with the 19 different organizations to simply match the spirit of our project. We also wanted to be able to modify the software ourselves - which we didn't need in the end, as OpenProject provides all the features we need.
Supporting open source technology
The call for open source alternatives is growing louder, also in medical technology. Conventional MRI scanners are extremely expensive and complex to manufacture and repair. As a result, clinics in less developed countries in particular often miss out on medically necessary MRIs.
This is why scientists are currently working on the development and construction of the first open source MRI scanner as part of an EU-funded project. The OSI² ONE was already presented in 2023. A more sophisticated version is being worked on by the A4IM project group, coordinated by Christoph Kolbitsch from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). The project abbreviation stands for: Affordable, Accessible, Adjustable and Accurate mr IMaging.
Collaboration on OpenProject, Development on Git
To be able to manage the project with all 19 organizations involved in the project, the project group looked for a suitable open source tool. The choice fell on OpenProject, as the PBT had already been working successfully with it internally for a long time and it provided all the features required.
With the help of OpenProject’s Excel synchronization feature, the team was able to easily import the information from the project plan that had been created up to the start of the project – and convert it into work packages. Project manager Christoph Kolbitsch uses OpenProject to keep track of the project’s progress and create regular status reports in Gantt form.
Meanwhile, the software for the MRI scanner is being developed on GitLab and GitHub. After all, the code of the open source MRI scanner should be transparent and public as well.
European Funding
The project (22HLT02 A4IM) has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States.
In addition to that, the A4IM project builds on the great achievements of the Open Source Imaging Initiative. Efforts like this initiative, and supporting each other, is essential for a project like this in order to translate open source from theory into practice.
Excel Synchronization
Importing data from the Excel project plan and converting it into work packages in OpenProject.
Open Source
Open Source provides full transparency and the option to add to the code.
Progress Reporting
Overview of project progress, clearly visualized in Gantt charts, ready for reporting.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
OpenProjects connects interdisciplinary teams by providing a web-based system that contains all information for everyone at any time.
Work packages
Prioritize and visualize tasks.
The project group has customized OpenProject's work packages to fit the terms used in their project plan: The type 'Work Package' is usually at the top level, below that are Tasks and below that the type Activity.
Gantt charts
Create and manage project plans.
Gantt charts are perfect for progress reportings on the project. The time planning can be done by drag and drop and can be adjusted and supplemented at any time. Dependencies are also visible.
Progress reporting
Track and report progress on work packages.
A project like A4IM, where many different parties are involved, needs an efficient progress reporting, provided by OpenProject.
