IEEE Milestone Award Event | First Computerised Tomography (CT) X-ray Scanner, 1971

The invention of X-ray computed tomography by Godfrey Hounsfield heralded major changes in how medical images impact healthcare. He provided the insight that enabled reconstruction of high quality images of internal structures from external X-ray beams without having to cut open the patient.

The rapid increase in computer power that was becoming available in the late 1960’s enabled Godfrey Hounsfield and his team to make clinical X-ray CT a reality. This technology provided the impetus for subsequent developments in magnetic resonance imaging, 3D ultrasound and tomography in nuclear medicine.

The rapid advances in computation from that time through to the present day have revolutionised how these images are formed, displayed and used clinically.

On 26th October 2022, we celebrated the IEEE Milestone Award that recognises the outstanding engineering achievement by Godfrey Hounsfield, enabling the practical realisation of high-resolution X-ray images of internal structures of the human body and marking the beginning of a new era in clinical medicine.

The plaque unveiling took place close to Jupiter House, formerly the EMI Head Office, Clayton Road, Hayes where the plaque will be permanently sited.

The plaque unveiling was performed by IEEE President-Elect Professor Saifur Rahman and John Ryan, a member of the CT Scanner project team at the EMI Central Research Labs.

The unveiling was followed by a symposium celebrating the achievements of Sir Godfrey Hounsfield at the Royal Institution, London, the next day.