What is an MRI simulator?

Software that reproduces an MRI scanner's console without the magnet, a magnet-free mock scanner that prepares children, or a radiotherapy planning scanner. The types, how they work, the evidence, and what to look for.

By the ScanFlo Editorial Team · Updated 3 October 2026

An MRI simulator is software that reproduces an MRI scanner's console without the magnet. You plan slices on localizers, choose sequences, set TR, TE, flip angle and resolution, and get an image that responds the way a real acquisition would. The same name is also used for magnet-free mock scanners that prepare children for MRI, and for scanners used to plan radiotherapy.

Three things called an MRI simulator

The phrase covers three different tools, and search results mix them up. Know which one you need.

The radiotherapy meaning is the easiest to rule out: Cahill and colleagues describe implementing "a retrofit MRI Simulator for RT planning", which is a working scanner, not a teaching tool (Cahill et al., 2023).

Does a mock MRI scanner reduce sedation in children?

Yes. Several studies found that a practice session in a mock scanner lets most young children have their real scan awake.

The effect is largest in the youngest children. Carter and colleagues found the anaesthesia rate was 16.8% lower in children aged 3 to 8 who had a mock MRI (Carter et al., Pediatric Radiology, 2010). It does not need expensive kit, either: a multi-centre study found no difference between a commercial simulator and "an inexpensive mock scanner consisting of a toy tunnel, vibrating mat, and video player" (Barnea-Goraly et al., 2014).

What types of MRI training simulator exist?

Four software families, which differ in how they make the image: image banks, signal-equation simulators, full Bloch-equation engines and VR experiences.

Bloch engines are mostly open-source research tools. JEMRIS, the Jülich Extensible MRI Simulator, was published in 2010 (Stöcker et al.); MRiLab reported a speed-up of about 200 times by running on a GPU (Liu et al., 2017); KomaMRI, from 2023, solves the Bloch equations with CPU and GPU parallelisation and matched JEMRIS to within 0.1% (Castillo-Passi et al., 2023). They are excellent for physicists and poor for teaching console workflow, because they are driven by code rather than a scanner interface.

Does training on an MRI simulator improve learning?

The evidence is positive and still young. Randomised and curriculum studies show gains in knowledge and exam scores, while reviews ask for more rigorous validation.

In a randomised pre- and post-test study of 60 learners at a hospital in Madrid, the group that used an MRI simulator scored significantly higher on both the post-test and the gain (Treceño-Fernández et al., Sensors, 2021). The authors note why simulators matter: busy departments give "minimum (or null) scanner time allocation for training". A 2026 programme that redesigned 40 hours of a 204-hour MRI course around a simulator saw final exam means rise from 17.55 to 18.34 out of 20 (Vafapour et al., Academic Radiology, 2026).

A review of 663 articles on computer-based simulation in CT and MRI education found simulators used mainly for scan planning, acquisition and reconstruction, and concluded that their educational validation "has not been fully assessed through rigorous academic assessments and metrics" (Chaka and Hardy, Radiography, 2021). Our guide on whether simulator practice transfers to the scanner goes through that evidence in detail.

What should you look for in MRI training software?

Parameters that really change the image, planning on real localizers, artefacts on demand, and access that scales to a whole batch.

That list follows the design requirements set out in the Sensors 2021 study, which named protocols, planning, editable timing parameters, artefacts at the trainer's demand, k-space, trainer roles, speed and easy access among them (Treceño-Fernández et al., 2021).

ScanFlo MRI · exam console

Can a simulator teach MRI safety?

Partly. Software and e-learning teach the rules and the screening logic well; in-room checks still need supervised practice.

An MR safety e-learning module, built for a radiotherapy department, raised scores from 59% to 79% (McDaid et al., JMIRS, 2021), and the authors note that guidance suggests annual safety training for everyone working in MRI. In a survey of radiography students, 69% said they would use skills learned in simulation in clinical practice (Elshami and Abuzaid, JMIRS, 2017).

Related: the radiography simulation guide, TR and TE, and MRI protocol coverage.