During the First World War, Marie Curie was a heroine. X-rays were discovered in the late 19th century, but the equipment that could be used to treat the wounded was very bulky and was located exclusively in hospitals located far from the battlefield.

Curie understood that it was necessary to operate the wounded soldiers as soon as possible, so she invented portable X-rays, which received the nickname "Little Curies" (Petites Curies) during that war. The problem of power supply was solved with the help of dynamomachines inside the cars. The invention made it possible to quickly diagnose the damage received by soldiers in almost any part of the front.