The sensor is called "chip-scale atomic magnetometer" (CSAM). It can be fixed directly on the body. The device was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the American sister institute of the PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt), Germany.
An important application area is the measurement of the magnetic field distribution around the brain, the so-called magnet encephalogram (MEG). It allows the characterization of the neurons´ electrical activity. In neurology and neuroscience, such functional studies play an increasingly important role.
For mental diseases in all age groups as well as in age-related diseases, there is an urgent need for adequately objected electrophysiological measures that support the clinical diagnosis, so in a PTB press release said.
Source (in German): http://www.ptb.de/
Contact:
Dr. Tilmann Sander-Thömmes
Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Arbeitsgruppe Biomagnetismus
Phone: +49 (0) 30 3481 - 7436
E-Mail: tilmann.sander-thoemmes[at]ptb.de