Philips Unveils World-First Helium-Free 3.0T MRI and AI-Powered Spectral CT at WHX Dubai 2026

Manal Saleh

Two world-first imaging platforms - designed to accelerate workflows, improve precision, and give clinicians more time to focus on patients.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Royal Philips  (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, is spotlighting two flagship diagnostic imaging innovations at the World Health Expo (WHX) Dubai 2026, the region’s most influential healthcare event driving transformation across the Middle East. The Philips BlueSeal Horizon MRI[1] and Verida Spectral CT[2] integrate AI-powered intelligence with advanced hardware, delivering faster, smarter, and more sustainable care.

Philips BlueSeal Horizon: Helium-Free 3.0T MRI with AI Workflow Automation

BlueSeal Horizon - an entirely new 3.0T MRI innovation platform that includes the world’s first helium-free[3] 3.0T magnet – is set to have significant impact for health providers and patients.

 3.0T MRI systems are the most advanced MRI magnet technology in widespread use, providing high-resolution imaging for research and the most complex clinical cases. These systems excel in capturing the most intricate workings of the body, especially the brain, blood vessels, muscles and joints.

BlueSeal Horizon combines breakthroughs in hardware with AI-powered software, designed to eliminate the traditional trade‑offs between imaging speed and precision.

By bringing next-generation clinical AI into everyday practice, the BlueSeal Horizon MRI platform will simplify workflows, enhance diagnostic precision, and expand access to advanced imaging. With automated planning completed in as little as 30 seconds[4], real‑time scan adjustments[5], and imaging up to three times faster with up to 80% sharper results[6], the platform will help radiology teams achieve faster, sharper, and more consistent imaging results - supporting confident, first-time-right diagnosis.

In addition, the platform's helium‑free design eliminates the need for helium refills and vent pipes -reducing siting complexity and installation time while lowering lifecycle impact and simplifying operations.

Philips has led the development of helium-free MRI since 2018, with more than 2,000 of its 1.5T BlueSeal MRI systems installed worldwide, saving more than 6 million litres of liquid helium to date[7].

“With BlueSeal Horizon we’re further freeing MRI from its dependence on a valuable resource the world can’t replace and bringing advanced diagnostic capabilities to people previously out of reach,” says Tamer Said, General Manager, Health Systems, Philips West Africa, Gulf & Levant.

Philips Verida: AI-Powered Detector-Based Spectral CT

Philips Verida is the world's first detector-based spectral CT fully powered by AI. With more than 800 global installations and over 800 - peer reviewed‑ publications[8], Philips' spectral CT uses PACS-native delivery and has been fully embedded into clinical workflow. Spectral CT measures how tissues absorb different x-ray energy levels, enabling differentiation of materials that appear identical on conventional CT. Philips has pioneered detector-based spectral CT, delivering multiple spectral results from a single scan with no trade-offs in performance or scan time.

As Philips’ newest spectral scanner, Verida reconstructs 145 images per second, so entire exams automatically appear in less than 30 seconds - 2× faster than before and enabling up to 270 exams every day[9]. Building on Philips’ proprietary Spectral Precise Image technology – a deep learning AI reconstruction engine combined with advanced spectral imaging – and its third-generation Nano-panel Precise dual-layer detector with intrinsic noise reduction optimized for AI, Verida is designed to deliver faster, more dose-efficient spectral reconstructions.

By combining spectral insights with AI‑enabled automation, Verida helps clinicians detect and characterize disease earlier, reduce variability in diagnoses, and support efficient treatment pathways – in a single scan. Embedded decision support and consistent spectral outputs across patients and protocols facilitate confident reporting, while integrated workflow tools reduce handoffs and manual steps. Built for high-demand environments, Verida streamlines workflows, reduces repeat scans, and delivers consistently sharp imaging across care pathways.

"Across both BlueSeal Horizon and Verida, we're advancing connected, AI-enabled imaging that gives clinicians time back," says Said. "Automation reduces routine tasks, real-time guidance optimizes protocols, and integrated tools reduce repeat scans and variability - so health systems can scale without compromise."

The regional debut of BlueSeal Horizon and Verida at WHX Dubai 2026 are not just milestones in imaging - they reflect Philips’ broader mission to redefine how care is delivered: faster, smarter, and more sustainably.

At WHX Dubai 2026, Philips is demonstrating how both platforms integrate within broader enterprise workflows to enable better care for more people.

ENDS

World Health Expo (WHX) 2026 is taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre from February 9 – 12, 2026. Visit the Philips booth at Stand N21.J10.

For more information or to book time with a Philips Lifecycle Solutions experts, visit the Philips at Philips at WHX 2026 webpage and follow @PhilipsME on X (Twitter) for live #WHX2026 updates.

For further information, please contact:

Rengin Erdinc

Communications and Brand Lead

Philips Middle East, Türkiye & Africa

Tel: +905 49 772 13 50

Email: Rengin.Erdinc@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.