A High-Tech Heart for Teddies

MCI students develop a new teddy MRI scanner for the Teddy Bear Hospital Innsbruck

What began as a simple repair request quickly evolved into a flagship project at the MCI, combining technology, creativity, and social responsibility. In close collaboration with the Teddy Bear Hospital Innsbruck, a new child-friendly Teddy MRI scanner was developed—designed and built by the committed students Alexander Kometer and Georg Sagmeister as part of the courses "Programming Practice 3" and "Low-Level Software Development", led by Bernhard Hollaus.

From Repair Case to Innovative Rebuild

The original task—repairing the aging Teddy MRI scanner—soon became the spark for an ambitious new development. Inspired by the creative concept behind the Teddy Bear Hospital, the goal expanded beyond mere repair to creating a completely new, modern, and educational MRI model that helps children overcome their fear of medical examinations.

Three Pillars of Development: Technology Meets Pedagogy

The project was structured around three core development areas:

1. Physical construction – including the design and mechanics of the examination table.

2. Embedded system integration – the technological core powered by a Raspberry Pi.

3. Development of intelligent image recognition – using a custom-trained AI model and an intuitive user interface.

The aim was to build a versatile, playful device that simulates the function of a real MRI scanner in a child-friendly way. With automatic plush toy recognition powered by AI, the process becomes both efficient and engaging for young users.

Innovation Driven by Passion: Making Technology Understandable

Inside the Teddy MRI, a stepper motor controls the movement of the scanning table, a wide-angle camera captures the soft toys, and an atmospheric lighting and sound setup creates an interactive experience. A standout feature is the custom-trained AI model, capable of recognizing various shapes and colors of stuffed animals to support diagnosis playfully.

The success of the project was rooted in the interdisciplinary and flexible teamwork: while Alexander focused more on software development, Georg took the lead on the hardware side. This agile collaboration enabled the team to overcome both technical and creative challenges effectively.

Positive Feedback and a Resounding Success

The project received overwhelmingly positive feedback from all sides and has been used by roughly 1.000 children this year. The most rewarding moment came during the first presentation, when the Teddy Bear Hospital team experienced the finished device in action. Claudia Hawlitzky, chair of the Teddy Bear Hospital Innsbruck, expressed her excitement: "We are very happy about the collaboration with MCI. We believe the new MRI scanner gives children a much better understanding of this type of examination—and it allows us to reach even more kids through its engaging design."

During the official opening, the team had the chance to observe the Teddy Docs at work, explore the different hospital stations, and proudly present the MRI scanner to the public.

Looking Ahead: Future Development and New Partnerships

The Teddy MRI is expected to continue evolving. Planned improvements include enhancements to the AI for more precise toy recognition, a more user-friendly interface, and a long-term goal of generating stylized X-ray images from camera data—an advanced feature requiring significant development time. Additionally, there are plans to raise awareness of the concept and explore partnerships with other Teddy Bear Hospitals in the region.