This is quite an interesting device here with the MD2GO from Sony and Microsoft collaborated with some software features to make it a bit more interesting it seems, but has a purpose. I can see what Chris Sullivan (his blog summary below) got to do at HIMSS, have fun and take pictures all day. You could wheel the camera all around HIMSS for that matter. Actually a few months ago he was kind enough to chat with me at the Quack about Microsoft products and where they have solutions for small practices. This looks like a bit of Kinect technology with this camera in the fact that it is controlled by gestures and we just heard a couple days ago that a developers kit would be forthcoming for Kinect too. In looking a this device from Sony it can sit right next to the IV pole . The Sony camera has a one way HD video system for the MD and a 2 way audio, so patient doesn’t get to see the doctor, but we can live with that. It has it’s own user interface for easy emote view and it actually produces diagnostic quality images. It can run on a slate tablet or any other device with a browser, so that about covers all. When it goes on sale, the Microsoft software comes along for free with the purchase of the camera. This looks like it can be wheeled around as needed and could work both at a practice and at the hospital. BD
Imagine it’s the middle of the night and a surgical resident urgently needs to consult with you, the on-call attending physician. The patient’s condition is worsening, a surgery is growing complicated, and a phone call just won’t do it. Until now, you’d have to make a frantic, late-night dash to the hospital. But now, thanks to a pioneering collaboration between Microsoft and Sony, doctors can be virtually present at their patient’s bedside or in surgery. Many trips to the hospital or operating room can be eliminated, or the on-call attending physician can asses a patient’s condition, in real time, and determine that he/she needs to arrive stat.
Press Release: Sony and Microsoft Unveil Next-Generation Telemedicine Solution at National HIMSS Conference Revolutionary mobile solution utilizes HD video and web-based interface to make physicians accessible to patients and staff from anywhere, anytime. ORLANDO, FL (HIMSS booth #3101A) – Feb. 22, 2011 – Sony Electronics is collaborating with Microsoft to enhance its new MD2GO, remote HD IP camera system. The collaboration will deliver a Windows 7 touch-based user interface developed on the Silverlight platform. With the new MD2GO Live Viewer Application, physicians can gain access to HD images and sound from any PC or Slate device with an internet connection enabling them to remotely view and communicate with patients and staff whenever they are on the go. MD2GO and its new software are on display at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual meeting in the Microsoft OEM pavilion at booth #3101A, Feb. 20–24, 2011. “This system has the potential to greatly improve the delivery of healthcare,” said Chris Sullivan, National Managing Director, Health Provider Solutions, Microsoft. “The familiar, easy-to-use interface on a Windows 7 device such as a slate, and the portability of the camera, gives clinicians the tools, and the freedom, to administer quality care beyond the bedside.” The MD2GO system leverages Sony’s leading visual imaging components. From the HD pan tilt zoom (PTZ) camera with 10x optical zoom lens, to the high quality speaker and microphone modules, the system delivers real-time, HD video. MD2GO is also designed to be unobtrusive and flexible. In a hospital network, there are main sites and remote locations. Because of the lightweight, compact design, mobility and wireless connectivity, the same experts that practice at the main sites are now available to support the clinicians in remote locations, improving the quality of care and increasing patient satisfaction. MD2GO can potentially be used within multiple hospital departments as well as in other types of facilities such as nursing homes or outpatient and rehab centers. “This system allows physicians to be on call, without being on-site and gives them the ability to clearly communicate with the patient or resident at the most critical time,” said George Santanello, general manager, Sony Medical Systems Division. “Though the shortage of physicians continues to grow, the demand for quality healthcare will not decline – MD2GO gives hospitals an easy to learn and use solution that delivers the quality care from their most experienced clinicians regardless of location or time of day – and at a price far below legacy systems.” Additionally, physicians can easily play back videos using Windows Media player and record HD video and stills to a PC, which can then be used in presentations for sharing with colleagues and for teaching and training.