The Clinical Imaging and Research Centre at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital have unveiled an MRI scanner that will make obesity scans quicker, less stressful and less invasive for patients seeking weight loss treatment, reports BBC.

The UK-based broadcaster notes that this promising double-strength scanner, which will be used by experts at Norwich Research Park, is sure to help Norwich strengthen its reputation as a growing research centre.

BBC learns that the device is designed to take detailed scans of the human gut using magnets rather than X-rays. Hopeful about the scanner, Norwich's spokeswoman told the broadcaster that this is one of the most powerful and patient-friendly scanners in the world and free from side-effects, and therefore very safe for commercial use.

According to the British public service broadcaster, the new MRI scanner for obesity diagnosis has double the magnetic field strength than the traditional MRI scanners.

Designed with a wider opening, the scanner contained in the Clinical Imaging and Research Centre can comfortably scan obese claustrophobic patients, notes the broadcaster. The only downside of the magnetic resonance imaging scanner is that it can't take scans of people with pacemakers or metal objects in their bodies.

Consultant radiologist Dr Paul Malcolm, MRI lead at the hospital and honorary lecturer at the University of East Anglia, told BBC that for obesity treatment it was important to understanding how the gut and digestion works without X-rays.

According to Professor Andrew Stewart Coats, chief executive of Norwich Research Park, the new MRI scanner will enable scientists to understand the body functions with greater accuracy.