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So far Amanda Towner has created 185 blog entries.

Inovus to Unveil New Innovation at IMSH

Inovus Medical will be travelling to San Diego for IMSH2020, the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, later this month where they will be unveiling their newest innovation that is set to democratise high-fidelity surgical simulation to the masses. The team will be on stand #334 where they will be carrying out demonstrations of the LapAR simulator. This Augmented Reality (AR) Laparoscopic Simulator has been developed with support by SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England initiative, led by the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and will be unveiled for the first time at IMSH ahead of its full market launch later this year. The simulator delivers real-feel haptics by combining real laparoscopic instruments with highly realistic soft tissue models. These medical models are merged with a digital environment to create a high-fidelity full procedure simulation. Patent pending technology allows the real and digital environments to interact, allowing complications to be triggered in the real environment and managed in the digital environment. The simulator will initially be launched with general surgery and O&G specific tasks as well as the full suite of LapPass tasks from the ALSGBI. Proprietary instrument tracking technology enables capture of instrument handling and performance metrics with all performance [...]

By | 2020-01-15T16:56:11+00:00 January 15th, 2020|
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OSU Study Shows How to Reduce Physical Risk in VR

A recent study from Oregon State University (OSU) assessed how some common virtual reality movements contribute to muscle strain and discomfort. It’s an effort to ensure future user safety in this fast-growing technology that is used not only for gaming, but also increasingly for education and industrial training. Image credit: Oregon State University “There are no standards and guidelines for virtual and augmented reality interactions,” said researcher Jay Kim of OSU’S College of Public Health and Human Sciences. “We wanted to evaluate the effects of the target distances, locations and sizes so we can better design these interfaces to reduce the risk for potential musculoskeletal injuries.” The study was published recently in Applied Ergonomics with Northern Illinois University co-authors Sai Akhil Penumudi, Veera Aneesh Kuppam and Jaejin Hwang. Virtual reality users wear a headset and engage in full-body, three-dimensional movements – unlike conventional computer users, where a desk or the arms of a chair offer some level of support for the hands and arms. With sensors placed on participants’ joints and muscles, researchers used motion capture to record their movements and electromyography to measure electrical activity in their muscles while performing common VR gestures. Wearing an Oculus Rift [...]

By | 2020-01-15T16:48:11+00:00 January 15th, 2020|
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SonoSim Advances Pediatric Care with New Training Products

SonoSim has launched its SonoSim LiveScan Neonatal & Infant Neurosonography Package, the first in a series of pediatric ultrasound training products. SonoSim is also releasing three training modules in Ultrasound-Guided Pericardiocentesis, Thoracentesis, and Paracentesis, which will help decrease needle-based procedure complications. The company will showcase these products and a wide variety of recent product enhancements in San Diego from January 19-21 at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH). “We are excited to improve pediatric care by empowering medical professionals with the knowledge and ability to use ultrasound for faster diagnoses,” states Nicole Durden, SonoSim’s Chief Operating Officer. “Additionally, our newest training in ultrasound-guided procedures will decrease needle-based complications in patients resulting in better outcomes and reduced costs.” IMSH attendees will be able to experience hands-on ultrasound scanning with these products. Attendees who visit SonoSim at Booth #1019 will also receive complimentary access to the newly launched SonoSim Mobile App, a 24/7 ultrasound assistant in-your-pocket that allows quick referencing of ultrasound knowledge at the patient bedside.

By | 2020-01-13T20:27:18+00:00 January 13th, 2020|
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DigiLens Unveils Crystal50 XR Lens

DigiLens Inc. unveiled its new Crystal50 waveguide lens at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, showing a 50-degree diagonal, full-color, low-cost waveguide lens. “Crystal50 is a significant step forward for the head-worn category as it enables a wide field-of-view (FOV) in a small form-factor and can be manufactured at a cost lower than any other waveguides on the market today,” said DigiLens CEO Chris Pickett. The Crystal50 — when mounted into the DigiLens Iris reference design, an XR headset fitted with a 720p pico projector, VSLAM head tracker and cameras — enables a 60-degree binocular FOV, allowing more opportunities for immersive XR content creation. DigiLens’ new waveguide display allows multiple diffractive optical structures to be multiplexed, thereby enabling the optical path in the eyeglass-sized transparent display to be integrated and compressed. This allows the FOV to be widened compared to competitor approaches while maintaining a compact lens form factor. DigiLens’ platform allows OEMs to create customizable, cost-effective waveguide-based XR devices for both enterprise and consumer applications.    

By | 2020-01-10T17:48:49+00:00 January 10th, 2020|
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Virtual reality eliminates risk and improves safety responses

First Gas, operator of more than 2,500 km of high-pressure gas transmission pipelines and 4,800 km of gas distribution networks in the North Island, turned to Waikato virtual reality (VR) specialist Company-X to design and develop a custom-built VR training programme for high-risk procedures. First Gas staff member trying the new technology. Image credit: Company-X The Company-X VR team developed a solution for First Gas through ideation following an agile software development process. Key members of the Company-X team included augmented and virtual reality specialist Lance Bauerfeind, project manager Dilan Prasad, and interactive artist Wonkee Kim. The Company-X team worked closely with First Gas Information Services project manager Reuben Uncles. The minimum viable product took 12 weeks to design and develop, with Uncles receiving weekly updates from Prasad and his team. Company-X used VR technology to replicate, in exacting detail, the high-risk procedure for emergency venting of a ruptured pipeline before maintenance could be carried out. “Virtualising the emergency venting process removed all risk to the First Gas team,” Uncles said. Company-X built a true-to-life VR model of the Te Kowhai DP Main Line Valve (MLV) in the Waikato. The team used point cloud scanning technology and as-built [...]

By | 2020-01-10T16:26:45+00:00 January 10th, 2020|
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Pico Interactive Releases All-in-One Solution

Pico Interactive announced its latest VR headset, the Neo 2 – an all-in-one (AIO) device with 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) head and controller tracking that delivers VR solutions to businesses. Pico’s Neo 2 line includes two headsets: the Neo 2 and the Neo 2 Eye. Both models feature technology that incorporates the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform. To further expand on Neo 2’s capabilities, Firefox Reality and Hubs by Mozilla will be incorporated in both headsets in late Q1. Firefox Reality is an open, accessible and secure browser built specifically with VR in mind for web browsing. Hubs by Mozilla allows users to collaborate online around virtual objects, spaces, and tasks – all without leaving the headset. In partnership with Tobii, the Neo 2 Eye model improves daily enterprise operations and applications. The Pico Neo 2 also supports wireless streaming for PC, which allows the Neo 2 to wirelessly connect to a nearby PC. “We’ve been working alongside Pico Interactive to spearhead the implementation of our leading XR technology into Pico’s VR headsets,” said Hugo Swart, VP and Head of XR,  Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Together, our mission is to deliver Boundless XR for PC to allow users to access [...]

By | 2020-01-09T19:21:10+00:00 January 9th, 2020|
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Ganzin Technology Showcases Eye Tracking Module

Ganzin Technology and other startups led by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) are showcasing their innovative solutions at CES 2020. Ganzin Technology has developed an eyeball-tracking technology to enable AR/VR users to control devices with their eyes or view the information of an object when they look at it, thus releasing their hands for other tasks. Image credit: Ganzin Technology "The user interface for computers is a mouse, and for smartphones it's a touchscreen. We believe the best user interface for AR/VR products is our eyes," said Shao-Yi Chien, the founder of Ganzin Technology and professor at the NTU Graduate Institute of Electronics Engineering. Recognizing that AR/VR will be the next revolution that transforms people's life, after computers and smartphones, tech giants such as Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Magic Leap, Sony, and HTC have dived into the development of AR/VR devices. However, most of the products still rely on handheld controllers, which are very user-unfriendly. As a result, VR/AR developers have been seeking new technologies to develop new user interfaces. The Aurora eye tracker module, Ganzin Technology's first-generation product, can track eye movements. Once the battery is fully charged, it will run for 12 hours consecutively, supplying enough power for [...]

By | 2020-01-07T17:43:12+00:00 January 7th, 2020|
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Area9 Lyceum Partners with eCampusOntario for Student Readiness

As eCampusOntario looked to improve the readiness of specialized trades students in three high-impact apprenticeships, it recognized the potential of advanced adaptive learning technology to help learners assess their knowledge and close skill gaps. eCampusOntario is partnering with Area9 Lyceum in an adaptive learning pilot program at three colleges located in the Province of Ontario: St. Lawrence College for electrician training, Durham College for plumbing, and Loyalist College for automotive service technician training. Area9 Lyceum’s Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based adaptive learning platform, Area9 Rhapsode, will deliver personalized learning to build greater proficiency among trades students. Area9 Rhapsode has been shown to cut training time in half, while delivering the support and resources each learner needs to close their knowledge and skills gaps and achieve mastery of their subject matter. “eCampusOntario is interested in testing new ways of accelerating training and remediating skills gaps. Area9 Lyceum’s AI-based adaptive learning technology will help us refine our approaches to technical training,” said David Porter, CEO of eCampusOntario. “We expect the results of the pilot projects underway at three of our Ontario colleges will help us better understand how to design and implement programs to rapidly upgrade Ontario’s workforce.” Area9 Rhapsode acts like a personal [...]

By | 2020-01-02T17:42:26+00:00 January 2nd, 2020|
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Mercy College Receives New York State Approval

The New York State Education Department has approved to expand the Mercy College’s nursing programs to provide increased degree offerings online and at the Dobbs Ferry, MercyManhattan and Bronx Campuses. The new degree programs, part of the College’s School of Health and Natural Sciences, were added to help alleviate the nursing shortage in the Tri-State area and across the nation. The expanded programs also provided a seamless pathway for students to continue their education after the former College of New Rochelle (CNR) ceased academic operations in August 2019. Mercy’s four-year traditional nursing program, which launched in 2015 and has been at capacity since its inception, has now tripled in size. The first cohort of 23 students were recognized at a pinning ceremony in May 2019, and in December, the first cohort of 106 teach-out students from the former CNR celebrated their pinning ceremony. “There’s great demand for highly trained nurses,” explained Deborah Hunt ‘86, Ph.D., R.N., Professor and Executive Director of Nursing Special Programs, and former Interim Dean of CNR’s School of Nursing and Health Professions. “Mercy is providing nursing programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels as patient demands become more complex and the aging population requires increased levels [...]

By | 2019-12-31T21:51:52+00:00 December 31st, 2019|
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VR Simulation Moves Into the Trucking Industry

Recent research from Brandon Hall Group shows that the use of virtual reality (VR) as a training modality is growing rapidly in “high-consequence” industries—those in which operator mistakes can cause significant property damage or fatalities or both. According to the study, nearly a third of surveyed companies in such industries identified VR tools as a top learning priority over the next 24 months—a 60% increase over two years.1 Image credit: Advanced Training Systems “We’re definitely seeing that in the motor freight industry,” says John Kearney, CEO, Advanced Training Systems LLC. Kearney, whose company is a leading designer and manufacturer of virtual simulators for driver training, among other applications, adds, “Trucking companies, driving schools, and the general public are increasingly aware that simulation training—that is to say, virtual reality—helps produce drivers who are better prepared to deal with any situation they might encounter.” Simulation, says Kearney, solves a classic training dilemma: how do you safely prepare trainees to deal with dangerous or extraordinary situations? Once dismissed as a toy, VR has been objectively shown to offer measurable improvement in the performance of tasks as disparate as flying advanced jets and handling dangerous chemicals.2 This, Kearney notes, makes it a [...]

By | 2019-12-31T21:40:28+00:00 December 31st, 2019|
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