Army specialists fire mortar roundsMilitary Health System
A new quantum-powered brain scanner is set to change how militaries protect troops from blast exposure by bringing laboratory-grade imaging directly to firing ranges.
Scientists in the UK are developing the world’s first fully mobile magnetoencephalography (MEG) system capable of detecting real-time changes in brain function within minutes of a blast.
For personnel repeatedly exposed to shock waves from high-power weapons, the technology could mark a turning point in long-term neurological safety.
The Ministry of Defence has committed more than £3 million to the project, which will deploy advanced quantum sensors inside a portable laboratory.
Crucially, military medical teams will no longer have to move troops to fixed hospital scanners as this system will drive straight to them.
The mobile MEG will be operated for the first time by the Defence Medical Services under Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, giving clinicians immediate visibility into neurological effects that usually vanish within 24–48 hours.
Quantum tech mobilized
Built by University of Nottingham spin-out Cerca Magnetics, the system brings together expertise from the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham to investigate subtle and fleeting brain changes caused by repeated blast exposure.
Minister for Veterans and People Louise Sandher-Jones said: “The safety of our personnel is a top priority. Thanks to technologies like this, even subtle physical changes are now becoming detectable … improving decision-making and vital protections for our forces.”
She added that such defence innovation also benefits civilians, particularly those affected by dementia, epilepsy, and concussion.
This breakthrough cements the UK’s push in defence science and quantum-enabled brain imaging.
Beyond military use, the same mobile architecture could soon assist at sports grounds, emergency sites, or hospital entrances.
Lt Col James Mitchell, Consultant Neurologist and Chief Investigator of the UK Military Blast Study, said: “This new system, a world first, will be transformative for research into the effects of blast exposure on our personnel.”
For the first time, researchers will be able to record a “time-stamped, accurate picture” of brain activity in the minutes and hours after exposure and track recovery over days.
These insights could shape evidence-based limits on safe blast exposure and guide return-to-duty decisions.
Measuring hidden damage
Studies suggest that repeated exposure to shock waves, even without visible injury, may accumulate over a military career, increasing the likelihood of serious brain health conditions.
But because the effects are subtle and short-lived, conventional scanners placed in hospitals or universities rarely capture them.
That’s where quantum-based OPM-MEG (optically pumped magnetometer MEG) stands out.
Professor Matthew Brookes, chair of Cerca Magnetics, said the new system “lifts limitations that have historically confined scanners to universities,” enabling mobility that could “revolutionise other fields too.”
The project will study multiple weapon types and map recovery patterns, providing objective data on who is at the highest risk and how quickly the brain stabilizes after exposure.
Professor Karen Mullinger, co-leading the programme, said OPM-MEG “non-invasively measures electrical brain function with unprecedented precision and sensitivity,” making it ideal for characterizing acute blast effects.
The technology has been a decade in the making under the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme, supported by DSIT and the MOD, with construction involving Magnetic Shields Limited, QuSpin, and the University of Nottingham School of Physics.
The system is expected to be operational by March 31, 2026.
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