Resonance Technology in Northridge demoed its virtual reality platform at the Radiological Society of North America’s virtual event last year, a bright point for the small medical device manufacturer.The event, which took place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, highlighted the company’s CinemaVision platform, a virtual reality experience that uses audio and video to calm patients undergoing an MRI, magnetic resonance imaging used to generate images of organs in the body.“This (event) was international. Decision makers get involved with this, and what happens is, this is the way we get leads, sales,” said Susana Ziarati, marketing coordinator for Resonance. “We had a good response.”Prices for Resonance products can range from $8,000 for audio only, to $40,000 to $50,000 for audio and video combined, according to founder Mokhtar Ziarati.Current Los Angeles hospitals that use Resonance products for MRI patients include: UCLA Ronald Reagan University Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles, UCLA Brain Mapping Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.Universities also use Resonance technology for studies in brain function, staff said. The company has global distribution with sites in Europe and Asia.“Thirty years ago, when the MRI came on the market, there was nothing like this for the patients,” added Ziarati. “Even audio, you couldn’t even listen to music because the headsets had magnetic material that you can’t have in an MRI.”An electrical and nuclear engineer with a specialization in MRI and CT technology, Ziarati founded the company in 1988. His products help clinicians get the most out of an MRI scan, with data to back up his belief that “patient comfort was the key to realizing the modality’s full diagnostic potential,” according to the company website.
