The invention of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is credited to multiple people due to its complex development history. Raymond Damadian is recognized for inventing the first full-body MRI scanner and filing the first patent for it in 1972. He demonstrated in 1969 that MRI could distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue and built the first machine called "Indomitable," producing the first human MRI image in 1977. However, the Nobel Prize for the development of MRI was awarded in 2003 to Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield, who made critical advances in the imaging technique itself, such as encoding spatial information and image acquisition improvements. In summary, Raymond Damadian invented the practical MRI scanning machine and pioneered its medical use, while Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield made key technological contributions that made modern MRI possible.