Philips unveils BlueSeal Horizon, industry’s first helium-free 3.0T MRI platform
Rhea-AI Summary
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG) on November 30, 2025 unveiled BlueSeal Horizon, an industry-first helium-free 3.0T MRI platform presented at RSNA 2025. The platform pairs a 3.0T helium-free magnet (with 7 liters permanently enclosed) with AI-powered workflow and imaging tools.
Philips cites prior BlueSeal scale: >2,000 1.5T installs and >6 million liters of liquid helium saved (compared with prior-generation magnets). Key AI features announced include SmartSpeed Precise (up to 3x faster scans; up to 80% sharper images), SmartPlanning (automated planning in as little as 30 seconds), real-time scan preview powered by NVIDIA, and SmartReading for cloud-based reading and reporting.
Disclosure: BlueSeal Horizon is a work in progress, not available in any jurisdiction and not for sale in the USA; future availability is not ensured.
Positive
- Announced helium-free 3.0T MRI platform on Nov 30, 2025
- Philips track record: >2,000 BlueSeal 1.5T installs
- Claimed helium savings: >6,000,000 liters versus prior magnet
- SmartSpeed Precise: up to 3x faster scans and 80% sharper images
- SmartPlanning: automated planning in as little as 30 seconds
Negative
- Work in progress: BlueSeal Horizon not available in any jurisdiction
- Not for sale in the USA; future availability not ensured
- Platform still contains 7 liters of helium in the cryogenic circuit
Insights
Philips' BlueSeal Horizon introduces the first helium-free 3.0T MRI platform and integrated AI features, signalling a technical upgrade in MRI deployment and workflow.
Philips combines a helium-free 3.0T magnet with on‑scanner AI to reduce installation complexity and speed imaging tasks. The system removes routine helium refills and vent pipes by enclosing 7 liters of helium in the cryogenic circuit, and pairs hardware changes with features named SmartPlanning, Real-time Scan Preview, SmartSpeed Precise, and SmartReading.
The principal dependencies and risks are regulatory and commercial: the platform is a "Work in Progress" and explicitly "not for sale in the USA" with future availability uncertain, so clinical adoption hinges on approvals and local deployment timelines. Claims of "up to three times faster" scans and images "up to
Watch for formal clinical validation, regulatory clearances, and initial install reports near major conferences such as
November 30, 2025
Major technology breakthrough combines advanced AI for clinical insights and accelerated workflow in new premium 3.0T MRI platform [1]
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Chicago, USA – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today unveiled BlueSeal Horizon [1], an entirely new 3.0T MRI innovation platform that includes the industry’s first helium-free 3.0T magnet at RSNA 2025. A pivotal advance in MRI innovation, helium-free [2] 3.0T is a major scientific achievement set to have significant impact for health providers and patients.
3.0T MRI systems are the most advanced MRI magnet technology in widespread use, providing high-resolution imaging for research and the most complex clinical cases. These systems excel in capturing the most intricate workings of the body, especially the brain, blood vessels, muscles and joints. Philips has led the development of helium-free MRI since 2018, with more than 2,000 of its 1.5T BlueSeal MRI systems installed worldwide, saving more than 6 million liters of liquid helium to date [3]. The company is now bringing the same benefits to 3.0T MRI, eliminating the need for helium refills and vent pipes – reducing siting complexity, installation time, and total lifecycle risk.
“With BlueSeal Horizon we’re freeing MRI from dependence on a valuable resource the world can’t replace and bringing advanced diagnostic capabilities to people previously out of reach,” said Ioannis Panagiotelis, PhD, Business Leader, MR at Philips. “But more than that, BlueSeal Horizon is an entirely new 3.0T innovation platform that combines breakthroughs in hardware with AI-powered software, eliminating the trade-off between imaging speed and precision and improving outcomes for both practitioners and patients.”
Next-generation clinical AI on the Philips BlueSeal Horizon platform
Philips will bring next-generation clinical AI into everyday practice with the introduction of its new BlueSeal Horizon MR platform [1], simplifying workflows, enhancing diagnostic precision, and expanding access to advanced imaging. Key AI-powered innovations will include:
SmartPlanning: Expanding to include cardiac imaging, this AI-driven feature will automate time-consuming planning steps. What once required multiple manual actions can now be completed in a single click, achieving automated planning in as little as 30 seconds.
Real-time Scan Preview: Powered by NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform and Open Models (Segment and Generate), this innovation aims to enable faster 3D image reconstruction, denoising, and artifact reduction, so radiologists can preview scans, adjust image quality and speed parameters in real time, and optimize workflow efficiency for more timely diagnosis.
SmartSpeed Precise: Dual AI technology will enable scans up to three times faster and images up to
SmartReading: This tool will integrate cloud-based AI reading and reporting tools directly on the MR system, specifically for neurology and oncology applications.
Together, these innovations will bring advanced clinical AI to the point of care, helping radiology teams achieve faster, sharper, and more consistent imaging results, supporting confident, first-time-right diagnosis.
[1] 3.0T BlueSeal Horizon is ‘Work in Progress’ and not available in any jurisdiction. It is not for sale in the USA. Its future availability cannot be ensured.
[2] Helium-free operations. 7 liters of helium is permanently enclosed in the cryogenic circuit.
[3] The amount of liquid helium saved is a calculation compared to a previous generation magnet with 1500 liters of helium.
[4] Compared to Philips SENSE/ C-SENSE imaging SmartSpeed Precise is already available on current 3.0T systems.
For further information, please contact:
Jayme Maniatis
Philips Global External Relations
Tel. : +1 617 894 8368
E-mail: jayme.maniatis@philips.com
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
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FAQ
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