Australia is unique as its sparse population doesn’t make it easy to send employees from one state to another. The medical industry is one of a few that is handicapped by our geography, but with the aid of specialised equipment, the great divide is narrowing.
Australia is unique as its sparse population doesn’t make it easy to send employees from one state to another. The medical industry is one of a few that is handicapped by our geography, but with the aid of specialised equipment, the great divide is narrowing.
Today Panasonic showcased the world’s first high-definition 3D video conferencing solution. The VC600 is a 3D camera that compresses a HD 3D video stream and transmits it over an ordinary video connection.
 Click to enlarge |
Currently the camera is being trialled by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) as a means to educate aspiring dentists who live in rural and interstate locations. ADA Product Manager Brett Tyler said the partnership will make a range of new training options possible.
“This technology allows us to deliver education programs that wouldn’t have been possible with other existing technology,” Tyler said. ” We can now potentially host interactive training events in remote locations that previously would not have had access to the needed facilities or presenters.”
Use of the camera will see costs associated with travelling interstate hedged as training can be undertaken on location.
“This also means a huge reduction in travel and accommodation costs normally involved in attending training classes in Sydney. With this we can also explore options such as having two locations sharing a presenter across two audiences at two facilities, the opportunities are truly exciting.”
When in play, the videoconferencing system will need to discern the subtle differences in colour, translucencies and opacities of teeth, with a failure to do so resulting in all kinds of ramifications for patients. Tyler spoke at length of the camera’s ability to transmit vast amounts of detail over an ordinary internet connection.
“Teeth are layered, 3 dimensional, different translucencies, opacities, colours and so forth. Some of that stuff can’t be transmitted in regular 2D… We’re very excited to see how 3D will allow us to transmit some of the additional information about the shape, structure colour and opacity of a tooth.
“The lecturers who present this content are very demanding of high standards for correctness of colour and resolution.”
Panasonic claim the videoconferencing camera can stream problem-free 3D streaming at 1080i resolution over an ordinary 1.5Mbps internet connection due to the use of sophisticated video compression technology. If the data rate dips, the quality of the video will be moderated, as opposed to broadcasting a few frozen frames of high definition video. Once the rate of data transfer plunges to 192kps, the setup halts the video feed for the sake of the audio.
The HDVC camera will also be a vital tool in other industries where “depth of field is critical.” It is available now and priced around $8,000.
