Explore the Partnership Between Motek Medical and Scalable Display Technologies, Advancing Military Rehabilitation with State-of-the-Art Visual Experiences.
Motek Medical, a division of DIH, develops rehabilitation equipment that patients experience in a virtual reality environment. Based in Amsterdam, Motek Medical works closely with clinicians and therapists to create innovative devices — like the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) system, designed to enhance clinical and research setups. CAREN is a customer-assisted research environment that provides virtual simulations to help improve wounded war fighters’ physical and cognitive skills.
“Motek offers programs and protocols for individuals to rehabilitate in a broader sense,” said Dick van der Kolk, senior product specialist for Motek. “Additionally, we have a lot of universities working with our equipment to perform research and analysis of the patients throughout their rehabilitation. We have integrated Scalable Display Technologies’ solutions in numerous applications and markets, but we have recognized particular success in working with military facilities to create a rehabilitation solution for wounded war fighters.”
“CAREN, our system designed for military rehabilitation, has been integrated at locations throughout the United States, including San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Washington, D.C.,” Van der Kolk continued. “Our military clients have developed their own test protocols to enhance the rehabilitation of their patients and enable them to recover from critical traumas, especially brain trauma.”
CAREN consists of a motion-capture system and a base driven by hydraulic and mechanical actuators. The base where the users stands is retrofit with force plates and a treadmill; this allows the operator to generate visual and physical perturbation that require the user to make dynamic responses. Unique to CAREN, real-time motion-tracking technology enables the system to follow patient movements, frame by frame, offering a detailed analysis.
“Our military clients have developed specific programs to simulate the environment as a remedy for the trauma these wounded warriors have experienced,” explained Van der Kolk. “For example, the patients are wearing military gear and observing a combat environment. They’re using the simulation technology to react to certain circumstances.”
“In other applications,” Van der Kolk explained, “the patients will experience sound at certain angles and will have to orient themselves in the specific direction of the sound. We are able to provide them with a realistic scenario through video projection and a grid of speakers placed behind the projection screens. The facilities are utilizing this technology to train their patients and enable them to regain their day-to-day functionality again.”
CAREN incorporates varying degrees of virtual-reality immersion, ranging from a flat-video, dual-channel audio and surround dome enclosure. “The design for the virtual-reality environment is either in a cylinder or a dome,” noted Van der Kolk. “We integrated Scalable Display Technologies’ solutions because of the unique design of the environment. Scalable Display Technologies enables us to create seamless projection on the unique surfaces. Each application includes eight to nine projectors, and to create the most realistic solution, we have to blend the projectors to create a harmonious transition from one projector to the next. It’s quite technical to accomplish seamless video projection; fortunately, Scalable Display Technologies allows us to streamline our integration.”
Scalable Display Technologies’ software automatically warps and blends multiple projectors into one seamless display. It allows Motek Medical to streamline its installation and create a reliable, long-term solution. “Scalable Display Technologies has allowed us to automate our calibration process, which was an important feature for us,” said Van der Kolk. “Prior to working with Scalable Display Technologies, we integrated a third-party solution that required four to five days for calibrations. Scalable Display Technologies has enabled us to create a simple solution for a complicated process like projection edge-blending. It’s also easily reproducible, which reduces installation time.”
Van der Kolk added, “Scalable Display Technologies is incredibly simple to recalibrate. Their one-touch calibration is ideal for our clients because, should an error occur, it significantly reduces the downtime — and it’s often simple enough for our client to do on their own.”
“For example, if a bulb needs to be changed in a projector, there’s a theoretical chance that the projector will be moved,” Van der Kolk illustrated. “Even if the projector is only adjusted one millimeter, it will dramatically affect the projection blending. It could potentially cause a massive distortion in the video display. With Scalable Display Technologies’ one-touch calibration, our clients can easily recalibrate the system, because it’s designed with reference points. Fortunately the system is quite stable, and it’s rare to require a recalibration. But we appreciate knowing that the system is simple to adjust.”
Scalable Display Technologies produces groundbreaking software that automatically calibrates the color, intensity and geometry of images from multiple projectors — resulting in a single, seamless digital display. With Scalable Display Technologies, there are no limits to the size or the resolution of the displays, and images can be created using software tools.
Distributed around the web:
- rAVe [PUBS]: https://www.ravepubs.com/motek-medical-develops-rehabilitation-equipment-using-vr-and-scalable-software/
- AV Beat: https://www.avbeat.com/motek-medical-standardizes-scalable-display-technologies-for-military-rehabilitation/
- Newscon: https://www.newscon.net/en/posts/motek-medical-develops-rehabilitation-equipment-using-vr-and-scalable-software/
- Newspostalk: http://www.newspostalk.com/tech-news/virtual-reality/motek-medical-establishes-rehab-tools-utilizing-virtual-reality-and-also-scalable-software-program/
About Scalable Display Technologies Inc. – Scalable Display Technologies produces groundbreaking software that automatically calibrates the color, intensity and geometry of images from multiple projectors — creating a single, seamless digital display. Scalable Display Technologies’ industry-leading applications, utilizing machine-vision algorithms, create a simple and cost-effective solution for brilliant, high-resolution displays on screens of unlimited geometry and size. Founded in 2004, Scalable Display Technologies is now utilized by partners and customers in a wide range of markets, including simulation, training, professional AV and visualization. Scalable Display Technologies, available from a network of partners who sell and install software, is recognized as a worldwide leader in projector edge-blending. For more information, please visit scalabledisplay.com.