In August 2025, we at Skope introduced the second generation of our software for managing field monitoring workflows – skope-fx – designed to work hand-in-hand with our newly released acquisition platform, NYOX. While NYOX has drawn attention for its new design – particularly its considerable reduction in size and weight compared with the first-generation system – it is worth asking: what does this new release of skope-fx bring to the table?

Below, we answer such question and highlight three key features that make skope-fx not only a powerful companion to NYOX but also a tool that translates directly into faster, simpler, and more reliable field monitoring at your fingertips.

1. Redesigned user interface

User comfort, efficiency, and workflow clarity are central to productive field monitoring and data analysis. In this release, the entire user interface has been re-engineered to support a more intuitive and streamlined workflow. With less time spent navigating menus or digging through ambiguous settings, and more time focusing on insights. Users can now reach conclusions faster and with greater confidence. Key improvements include:

• Simplified navigation: multiple windows can now be managed in a tab-based layout (Figure 1, on the top-left with green background), making it effortless to compare different scans side by side without losing context.
• Organized parameter handling: clearer parameter grouping and updated naming conventions reduce confusion and speed up interpretation. For example, plotting parameters are now separated across two dedicated tabs for the top and bottom panels (Figure 1, highlighted in green on the top-right for plot 1 and plot 2), ensuring a cleaner overview. Dynamic viewing of multiple acquisitions within a scan has been simplified by using a single slider. Figure 2 offers a comparison of the legacy graphic user interface. Legacy parameter names have also been updated to eliminate ambiguity (Figure 3, for example, Camera Interleave TR is now more precisely labeled as Trig Ignore, reflecting idle intervals during which acquisition triggers are skipped).
• Live analysis and comparison: a new toolbox enables real-time investigation of multiple acquisitions, which reduces debugging time and allows issues to be caught on the spot (Video 1).

Figure 1: The new skope-fx features a modern and intuitive user interface. Multiple scans during a field monitoring experiment are shown on the left-hand panel and can be browsed simultaneously across multiple windows (top, green bookmarks). Two panels (plot 1 and plot 2) are configured on the far left by a neat interface. Dynamic viewing is enabled by a single acquisition slider on the far bottom, enabling the viewing of multiple acquisitions within one scan.

Figure 2: The legacy skope-fx user interface encompasses multiple parameters and overwhelm the user with plenty of information. The interplay with such a complex ecosystem requires advanced know-how. For example, dynamic viewing of multiple acquisitions requires a tradeoff between three sliders at the top.

Figure 3: New scan prescription on skope-fx. Comparison of legacy software (left) and new generation (right). The simplicity of the user interface as well as the renaming of legacy parameters is displayed.

Video 1: Dynamic viewing of 10 field monitored acquisitions for a Fast Field Echo sequence are displayed, where staggered phase encoding gradients (top) and k-space lines (bottom) are reported in shades of green. A calculation of the gradient and k-space line differences across acquisition n=1 and n=10 is evaluated exploiting the on-demand comparison toolbox, now integrated and available in skope-fx.

2. Modernized data storage format

Nobody enjoys juggling multiple files, troubleshooting missing data, or running into memory limitations. To address this, we have fundamentally restructured data handling in skope-fx that allows smoother collaboration, leads to fewer technical headaches, and enables focus on advancing research only rather than managing data logistics.

The most significant architectural change is the transition from multiple raw data files to a single, hierarchical HDF5 format. This streamlined format stores only the raw magnitude and phase data, while derived information (such as gradient waveforms and k-space) is now computed on demand and in real time within calibration workflows.

Additional improvements include:

• Smaller and smarter files: low-pass filtering and decimation reduce file sizes by a factor 3- to 10-fold, which saves storage space and speeds up transfer and processing.
• Streamlined file management: one compact file to rule them all, that replaces dozens of scattered ones, meaning less time spent organizing and more trust that nothing is missing.
• Enhanced compatibility: the HDF5 structure connects seamlessly with analysis environments like Python and MATLAB, allowing easier integration into diverse workflows.

Figure 4: Comparison of data storage across legacy and new version of skope-fx. For this specific experiment, instead of 54 separate files, a single file can be stored and transferred, resulting in a 3.7-fold storage compression.

3. Field Models: a new on demand calibration workflow

Calibration is the foundation of accurate and reliable dynamic field monitoring. In the legacy version, gradient waveforms, dynamics, and the corresponding k-space data were computed and stored for each scan upon a selected calibration. Any modification to calibration parameters required full reprocessing, often leading to redundant data, cumbersome file management and slowing down analysis. While the calibration procedure itself remains unchanged, the workflow in skope-fx has been reimagined to provide greater freedom to experiment, fewer bottlenecks in calibration, and results that you can trust and reproduce across sessions.

The new release introduces the concept of Field Models – modular, reusable calibration definitions that can be applied dynamically to any raw dataset within a skope-fx session. A single Camera Locator scan now supports multiple Field Models, allowing flexible recalibration without reprocessing. Data duplication is avoided, leading to lighter storage footprints. Calibration workflows become faster, more reproducible, and more scalable. In addition, the system now enables real-time visualization of data during acquisition. Users no longer need to wait for the scan to finish to inspect the trajectories – field dynamics can be monitored as they unfold, making it easier to detect anomalies early, validate setups, and gain immediate confidence in the calibration. Video 2 showcases an example of the application of two different Field Models based upon the same calibration data, to investigate gradient and k-space dynamics on a monitored spiral readout.

Video 2: example of Field Models calculation and application to a spiral readout. Given a measured Camera Locator, a field model with 16 probes and 3rd order field expansion is used at the beginning (calibration_1). A new field model, including the removal of 3 probe signals and limited up to the 1st order field expansion is re-calculated on-the-fly. A field monitored spiral readout is then visualized, with the 3rd order field model expansion (calibration_1) followed by the 1st order field model expansion (calibration_1st_order), where high-order components are no longer available.

From features to impact

With this new generation of skope-fx, our goal was not only to complement the breakthrough hardware of NYOX but also to redefine the way researchers and clinicians experience field monitoring. Together, these innovations translate into:

• Faster workflows that save time at every step,
• On demand and real-time gradient waveforms evaluation,
• Reduced storage demands that make scaling effortless,
• More reproducible outcomes that give confidence in results, and
• A more intuitive user experience that lowers the barrier to adoption.

Ultimately, skope-fx and NYOX create a platform where usability, scalability, and precision come together, enabling users to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in MR field monitoring.

This release marks just the beginning of a new era for field monitoring: one where technology works seamlessly in the background so users can focus on discovery, innovation, and impact.