model of corkscrew gantry
Date: circa 1987
Inventory Number: 2003-1-0278
Classification: Model
Subject:
Maker: Andreas Koehler (1930 - 2015)
Cultural Region:
Place of Origin:
Dimensions:
45.7 x 31 x 43 cm (18 x 12 3/16 x 16 15/16 in.)
person: 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
Description:
This is a model of a corkscrew gantry. Made essentially of wooden spools, tinkertoy parts and aluminum rod, this model demonstrates how a proton beam could be delivered to a patient lying on a chirurgical bed. The patient here is represented by a small wooden figurine, whereas the table was made of a transparent material, lucite.
The proton beam would have come from a particle accelerator. The blue and orange parts represent magnets that focus and bend the proton beam. The whole apparatus rotates in the vertical axis, which gives an idea of how some of the magnets would have to move in order to keep the beam focused.
The proton beam would have come from a particle accelerator. The blue and orange parts represent magnets that focus and bend the proton beam. The whole apparatus rotates in the vertical axis, which gives an idea of how some of the magnets would have to move in order to keep the beam focused.
In Collection(s)
Signedunsigned
FunctionArchitectural models of gantries were used to illustrate how beam lines would be brought to the patient treatment room.
Historical AttributesThis corkscrew gantry was designed and patented by Andreas Koehler, who also built this model in the late 1980s at the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory. It was built at Loma Linda University, near Los Angeles, California.
ProvenanceHarvard University Cyclotron
Published ReferencesA. M. Koehler, "Preliminary Design Study for a Corkscrew Gantry," Proceedings of the Fifth PTCOG Meeting and International Workshop on Biomedical Accelerators, Report No. LBL-22962, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (1987): 147-158.