The MR318 Fiber Optic Rotary Encoder
is the world's first and only commercially available, non-metallic rotary
position sensor that can operate with complete "transparency" in
extreme electromagnetic fields. The product concept grew out of requests from
the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) community for a non-metallic version of
Micronor's existing fiber optic encoder products. Prior to the MR318, engineers had no
commercial solution for measuring continuous position within an MRI chamber.
Motors or actuators could be hydraulic or pneumatic but no commercial,
non-metallic position sensor existed. A homemade fiber optic proximity/limit
switch was the best solution, but this was awkward to design, package, and
could only provide position information at discrete points. The advent of the
MR318 enabled fully-functional motion control apparatus with closed-loop
feedback.