World's Smallest CT Scanner
Chinese Researchers Develop the World's Smallest and Lightest 6-Kilogram Portable CT Scanner
Anonymous
Chinese researchers at Shandong-based Rayim have developed the Xtomo-Cube, a portable CT scanner roughly the size of a desktop speaker and weighing about 6 kilograms. Described by its developers as the world’s smallest and lightest CT system, it can be held in one hand and has earned the nickname “palm-sized CT scanner.” Its 80-micrometer spatial resolution—about the width of a human hair—allows it to produce detailed, non-destructive images of small objects such as fossils, archaeological artifacts, snail shells and medicine capsules. Consuming about 200 watts, the scanner can run on a portable power bank, making it suitable for fieldwork, classrooms and research laboratories, though it is intended for small samples rather than general-purpose scanning. Rayim says its key components, including the X-ray source, rotating platform and detector, were developed and manufactured in China.
Key Points
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The scanner’s components were fitted into a housing of about four litres while maintaining its imaging detail, a design challenge highlighted by Rayim engineer Liu Baodong.
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The Xtomo-Cube reportedly surpasses the previous smallest-CT record, held by a German-developed system weighing 19 kilograms.
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Unlike closed commercial scanners, the system provides open settings and access to raw image data, allowing students and researchers to experiment with reconstruction and analysis.
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Rayim cautions that the Xtomo-Cube is not designed to scan all types of objects; its relatively low X-ray energy and small-sample focus make it better suited to university classrooms and research laboratories than broad industrial or medical use.
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