iPhones are allergic to helium

4 Comments

1. 2018-10-31 12:38 am

   Alfman verbose=1

   This sounds like it could be an implausible plot point for a hollywood movie.

   “We’re going to incapacitate their systems by bringing many tanks of helium in adjoining rooms and opening the valves.”

   “Are you sure that will work?”

   “Trust me”
2. 2018-10-31 2:28 am

   unclefester

   The story is total BS.

   The so called ‘MRI’ is actually a Brightspeed multi-slice CAT scanner. It doesn’t use helium.

   120L of helium is only 15kg. It will be diluted to a trace level in a few minutes by the airconditioning system.

   Helium is much lighter than air. It will be removed rapidly by the air conditioning.

   Helium won’t diffuse into a phone at atmospheric pressure.

   Edited 2018-10-31 02:33 UTC
• 2018-10-31 4:44 am

  Alfman verbose=1

  unclefester,

  The story is total BS.

  The so called ‘MRI’ is actually a Brightspeed multi-slice CAT scanner. It doesn’t use helium. [/q]

  Interesting, I looked it up and you are right, the machine pictured is not an MRI machine. However, I checked the original article as well as the referenced Redit posts. The original reports never claimed it was a GE Brightspeed scanner, his posts merely say it’s an MRI from GE.

  https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/9mk2o7/mri_disabled_every…

  https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/9si6r9/postmortem_mri_dis…

  Sure enough, the hospital’s own website also confirms that they have a CT scanner but also purchased a new “Optima 360 Advanced MRI”, which is in fact a real MRI sold by GE.

  http://mrcohosp.com/services/radiology/

  http://www3.gehealthcare.in/en/products/categories/magnetic-resonan…

  I think the flaws in the article surrounding “Morris Hospital’s GE Medical BrightSpeed MRI Machine” were the fault of ifixit.org’s editor, Kyle Wiens. We can even find where he swiped the article’s image from, from the hospital’s website. Hint: it’s NOT the MRI in question!

  https://www.morrishospital.org/services/diagnostic-imaging/

  The manufacturer’s FAQ seems to confirm the story’s findings…

  https://www.sitime.com/support/faqs

  How effective is the hermetic seal of MEMS oscillators??

  One of the key elements enabling extremely stable MEMS resonators is SiTime’s EpiSeal™ process which hermetically seals the resonators during wafer processing, eliminating any need for hermetically sealed ceramic packaging. SiTime’s EpiSeal resonator is impervious to the highest concentration elements in the atmosphere, nitrogen and oxygen, and therefore acts as a perfect seal. Previous generations of EpiSeal resonators may have been impacted by large concentrations of small-molecule gas. Newer EpiSeal resonators are impervious to all small-molecule gases. Please contact SiTime in case you are planning to use a SiTime device in large concentrations of small-molecule gas, so that we can recommend an appropriate, immune part.

  I tried to find corroborating evidence that light gases might have this effect on MEMS sensors, it seems plausible…

  http://www.phys.ufl.edu/REU/2012/GeigerPaper.pdf

  [q]MEMS have been in use as sensors3 since the 1980’s.2,3 MEMS sensors can be found in

  many electronic devices as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and displays.3

  …

  The resonant curves depend on the settings of

  the driving circuit and on the properties of the medium around the device. This dependence on

  the surrounding medium makes these devices excellent sensors for determining the properties of

  different gases and, ultimately, liquid helium at cryogenic temperatures.

  So, despite some correct observations, I think you could be wrong here.

  Edited 2018-10-31 04:51 UTC
3. 2018-10-31 3:43 pm

   dionicio

   Those Devices use to be near to isotopic Devices.

   (Of course, mi aluminium hat is on).