Research excursion for children to the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Garching. Right side: Dr. Madleen Busse, researcher at MIBE.
Research excursion for children to the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Garching. Right side: Dr. Madleen Busse, researcher at MIBE.
Image: Carolin Lerch

, News

Research excursion for children to MIBE

Chocolate egg X-ray scan and computed tomography with kangaroo Skippy

How do scientists conduct research at the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE)? Thirteen children from the first to fourth grade explored this question during a visit at the institute. At two workstations, the elementary school children experienced live what can be examined with X-rays and computed tomography scanners.

How can you see the hidden surprise in chocolate eggs without opening them? Under the guidance of Dr. Madleen Busse, researcher at MIBE, the children placed egg-shaped chocolate sweets in an X-ray microscope. Once the door was closed, they observed what the inside of the eggs looked like on the monitor. When the X-ray beam is sent through the egg, it is attenuated to different degrees depending on the material. Thus, the interior of the examined object is depicted on the monitor in different shades. Some children were already familiar with this principle from a visit to the orthodontist, checks at the airport or from the hospital, but experimenting themselves with the technique was a new experience for everyone. Is that a turtle or some other animal? An object to stamp or something to assemble? To get a better look at the hidden surprise objects, the children rotated the surprise eggs like researchers rotate their samples, figuring out what was inside. Finally, during lunch break, everyone checked whether their analysis was correct – bon appétit.

The girls and boys also examined the “Ferrari of X-ray machines” in the X-ray lab, a so called micro-computed tomography device (micro-CT), which allows researchers to acquire high-resolution images. Another X-ray machine in the lab, a nano-CT, allowed researchers to elucidate how the “velvet worm” is able to move despite having no bones. The children watched the detailed three-dimensional recordings in a video resulting from this research.

At the second workstation, everyone joined Dr. Klaus Achterhold, researcher at MIBE, in examining toy kangaroo Skippy, who unfortunately suffered from abdominal pain due to mysterious objects in his pouch. Therefore, Skippy was placed on the table of a CT-device and pushed along through the X-ray tube by remote control. The CT-device rotated around the kangaroo to take X-ray images from all directions. The children monitored this process from outside and observed how the resulting images turned into a three-dimensional representation of the kangaroo on the monitor. The procedure allowed them to diagnose what was causing the kangaroo’s problems. While the scissors hidden in the pouch were quickly identified, the nut was a more difficult riddle to crack.

A lot of fun during the chocolate egg scans, quick help for kangaroo Skippy and finally a visit to the parabolic slide on the grounds of the University of Munich (TUM) - after many new experiences the exciting visit finally came to an end.

Publication

Mark Müller, Ivo de Sena Oliveira, Sebastian Allner, Simone Ferstl, Pidassa Bidola, Korbinian Mechlem, Andreas Fehringer, Lorenz Hehn, Martin Dierolf, Klaus Achterhold, Bernhard Gleich, Jörg U. Hammel, Henry Jahn, Georg Mayer, and Franz Pfeiffer: Myoanatomy of the velvet worm leg revealed by laboratory-based nanofocus X-ray source tomography. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,Vol. 114 | No. 47, November 21, 2017. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.171074211
 

Contact Media Relations

Carolin Lerch
Technical University of Munich
Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE)
carolin.lerch@tum.de

Media Relations MIBE
presse@bioengineering.tum.de 

Scientific Contact

Dr. Madleen Busse
Technical University of Munich
Phone: +49 (89) 289 - 10802
madleen.busse@tum.de

Dr. Klaus Achterhold
Technical University of Munich
Phone: +49 89 289-12559
klaus.achterhold@tum.de