The company is a leading manufacturer and developer of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. The Patient Friendly MRI Company, formed in 1978, is engaged in the business of inventing, manufacturing, selling and servicing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. FONAR is the oldest MRI company in the world. After receiving hundreds of millions in a windfall from protecting their MRI patents, they made a MRI scanner that no other MRI manufacturer has. One that the patient stands in and they call Indomitable, the Stand-Up MRI. Patients like it because it is the least claustrophobic, most comfortable MRI on the market. Doctors like it because of its superior image quality and for the first time, the patient can be scanned in the weight-bearing position, or the position of pain or symptom. In October of 2004, the company changed the product name of the Stand-Up MRI to the Upright MRI. Fonar introduced the first "open" MRI scanner in 1980 and is the originator of the iron-core nonsuperconductive and permanent magnet technology.

MRI Scanners:

- 0.6T:

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Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. (HMSA), was a major provider of magnetic resonance imaging systems in the United States. Hitachi had more than 2300 installed permanent magnet MR imaging systems worldwide. As a full-line supplier of medical imaging equipment in Japan, Hitachi Medical Corporation (HMC) founded HMSA to provide a direct link to the U.S. marketplace. Altaireâ„¢ , the open MR system from Hitachi, extends the family of open MRI products.

In December 2019 Japan's Fujifilm announced the acquisition of Hitachi's diagnostic imaging business for 179 billion yen ($1.63 billion). This includes Hitachi’s CT, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound imaging operations, also its electronic health record business. Fujifilm expects the deal to close in July 2020 subject to regulatory clearances.

MRI Scanners:

0.3T to 0.7T:
1.5T:

Advantages of low field imaging are the small-sized 5 Gauss fringe field and therefore the less static magnetic field exposure for the surrounding area, as well as less contraindications causing lower risks for the MRI safety by implemented metal and magnetic devices and equipment.
Low field systems are sometimes for restricted use, e.g. dedicated extremity scanner or open MRI devices. Open MRI devices equipped with permanent magnets are well-suited for MR guided interventions because these machines combine the lower magnetic fields of this type of magnets and the better patient access of open MRI scanner.
In some cases, the contrast of different tissues is better at lower field strength, depending on their T1 or T2 relaxation times. The disadvantage of the lower signal to noise ratio are a poor resolution and a longer scan time for a good image quality.

See also Claustrophobia, Contraindications and MRI Safety.

See also the related poll result: 'In 2010 your scanner will probably work with a field strength of'

From Siemens Medical Systems;
the MAGNETOM Concerto is easy to site and has low life cycle costs due to the permanent magnet. The powerful gradient system with 20 mT/m and a slew rate of 40 T/m/s permits high field applications on a low field open MRI system. The three-sided fully open magnet results in maximum acceptance of claustrophobic or anxious patients and patient access.

From MagneVu;
The MagneVu 1000 is a compact, robust, and portable, permanent magnet MRI system and operates without special shielding or costly site preparation.
This MRI device utilizes a patented non-homogeneous magnetic field image acquisition method to achieve high performance imaging. The MagneVu 1000 MRI scanner is designed for MRI of the extremities with the current specialty areas in diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Easy access is afforded for claustrophobic, pediatric, or limited mobility patients.
In August 1998 FDA marketing clearance and other regulatory approvals have been received.
Until 2008, over 130 devices in the US are in use. Some further developments of MagneVu's extremity scanner are: 'truly Plug n' Play MRI™' and iSiS ( which adds wireless capability to the second generation MV1000-XL).