Sim4Life Release V3.4

With the Release of Sim4Life V3.4, we are introducing IMAnalytics, a unique, validated module for the smooth, comprehensive, fast, and error-free analysis of the magnetic resonance safety of implants. IMAnalytics evaluates both the power deposition at electrodes and the induced voltages inside active implants for custom defined lead trajectories. Importantly, it does it automatically for millions of exposure conditions resulting from different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies across the entire range of the patient population – and within a few hours instead of several weeks! The V3.4 Release also provides several other major performance boosts, novel features and improvements but also bug fixes, making your simulations once again faster and more effective. Feedback, as always, is greatly welcomed!

Novel MR Safe Implants Toolsets

IMAnalytics Module V1.0 Beta: ALMOST INSTANT TIER 3 ANALYSIS FOR IMPLANTABLE DEVICES

• Sim4Life V3.4 incorporates V1.0 Beta of ZMT’s IMAnalytics Module - the unique solution for the comprehensive safety evaluation of implantable devices now shortening evaluation time from many weeks to just a few hours.
• The customer defined inputs are:
  • lead trajectories
  • PiX models (the models of the RF response of an implant to MRI exposure can be directly imported)
  • MRIxViP libraries (can be extended or replaced)
  • evaluation constraints (conditions, coverage, normalization, etc.)
• IMAnalytics (1) extracts the tangential E-field along the lead trajectories from terabytes of electromagnetic (EM) field data of the MRIxViP libraries (see below) or/and own exposure datasets and (2) processes those with the PiX models of the implant.
• A broad variety of statistical analysis can be extracted for the deposited power and induced voltages for different normalizations (e.g., whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR), partial-body SAR, head SAR or B1 field values).
• The final release (early July) will also include the documentation for the full verification of the MAnalytics Module that greatly supports regulatory submissions.

MRIxViP64 V1.0 Beta & MRIxViP128 V1.0 Beta: MRI EXPOSURE LIBRARIES FOR RF-SAFETY EVALUATION

• MRIxViP V1.0 Beta, just released by the ITIS Foundation, are the currently most comprehensive and validated libraries of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exposure matrices of the Virtual Population (ViP). The two MRIxViP datasets allow to effectively demonstrate patient safety in any clinical exposure conditions.
• The library currently comprises the exposure of radio frequency (RF) energy from a set of 10 cylindrical birdcage coils and eight different models of ITIS ViP placed at different landmark positions inside the coils (55 mm increments for 1.5T and 25 mm increments for 3T).
• The libraries are compatible with the latest Version of Sim4Life V3.4+ and the IManalytics Module V1.0+.
• The releases of V1.0 (early July) will include the complete validation documentation, ensuring that all exposure data are included and can be processed correctly – tailored to supporting the submission to regulation bodies.
• IT’IS will continuously update the library with additional models and different postures in order to extend and refine the coverage for the world population.

Significant Performance Boosts

FASTEST psSAR AVERAGING ALGORITHM

• The new highly efficient implementation of the IEEE/IEC62704-1 SAR averaging standard algorithm in V3.4 drastically reduces the required computational time while preserving full compliance with the standard, according to which it has been thoroughly validated and verified.
• psSAR averaging is now more than 100x faster than in previous implementations in Sim4Life. Moreover, it scales very efficiently with the available number of CPU cores.
• The new concept even eliminates any need for a fast preview option.

MAJOR SPEEDUP OF ADAPTIVE SUBGRIDDING

• The latest FDTD local refinement algorithms in Sim4Life V3.4 (AXE) greatly improve computation performances in case of subgridding, in particular for adaptive and connected subgrids.
• Adaptive subgridding has been broadly applied on real examples and provides considerably faster solver time with up to 50% speedup.

Raising High-Performance Computing

ARES & MULTI-SIM MULTI-GPU

• In Sim4Life V3.4, the Asynchronous Remote Server (ARES) has been enriched by an enhanced queuing system which allows jobs to run concurrently. Servers with multi-GPU configurations and/or multiple CPU's are now capable of running jobs on a subset of cards/processors at the same time.
• Simulation throughput can be significantly increased by utilizing all hardware resources on dedicated compute servers, reducing the time to solution significantly.
• V3.4 also allows an easy setup of hardware requirements in the Sim4Life GUI for all supported solvers and automatic dispatch via networking is empowered.

CLOUD COMPUTING ON NIMBIX

• Sim4Life V3.4 has been enhanced to support the NIMBIX Cloud platform. It offers the latest hardware acceleration supported by V3.4., thereby supporting the employment of CUDA + AXE FDTD solvers in the cloud for the fastest outcome.
• Sim4Life V3.4 provides user-friendly tools to enable automated interaction with the NIMBIX platform.
• The novel support for NIMBIX enables the user to perform large and computationally heavy simulations on the latest CPU and GPU/NVIDIA related HPC hardware.

General Improvements, Features and User Requests (Selected)

• The powerful 5G simulation package in Sim4Life has been enriched by various productivity and framework enhancements (support for conformal/bent arrays/lenses, improved modeling for phased arrays CAD models, faster array-factor far-field evaluators, RCS support).
• The enhanced two-way interaction link to Optenni Lab permits seamless transfer of simulation data and circuit configurations. Matching, tuning, and decoupling circuits to an EM simulation is now possible in a single but user-friendly step.
• V3.4 features a new Fast RCS (Radar Cross-Section) simulation/evaluation for large objects to calculate bi-static and mono-static RCS.
• Various important framework improvements (handling, modeling, post-processing) have been implemented in V3.4 which boost any workflow and usage (general GUI/tree speedup for 100’000s of objects > x50, markers/xy plot improvements, Python enhancements, etc.).

A more comprehensive list of improvements, fixes, and new features is included in the Release Notes.

To experience the power and elegance of Sim4Life V3.4 or for further information, please email us at s4l-sales@zmt.swiss or call us at +41 44 245 9765.

The relevant Sim4Life installers for Win7/Win8/8.1/Win10 64-bit platforms can be downloaded here. Existing customers with an up-to-date annual maintenance and support plan will automatically receive all pertinent information regarding the Software Installer Download and updated licenses.

At ZMT we are committed to support our customers with the most innovative software solutions, testing equipment, and service.

The Sim4Life Team

s4l-sales@zmt.swiss

Enhanced 5G simulation package in Sim4Life V3.4 for optimization and performance assessment of 5G wireless devices and demonstration of compliance: beam-steering/optimization of a quasi-Yagi phased array embedded into industrial CAD data of a mobile phone.

Performance boost for the adaptive subgridding (AXE) in Sim4Life V3.4: 50% speedup of the GPU-based subgrid algorithm allows for even faster optimization/assessment of complex scenarios (multiband-antenna resolved by 17(!) overlapping/adaptive individual subgrids).

Support for the NIMBIX Cloud platform in Sim4Life V3.4: performing large and computationally intensive simulations on the latest CPU and GPU/NVIDIA related HPC hardware – via connection directly from the Sim4Life GUI and progress/control via NIMBIX online/web interface.

Matching, tuning, and decoupling of an 8-channel mTx birdcage coil using Sim4Life's V3.4 MATCH module in combination with the circuit optimization tool Optenni Lab.