Success Story: The Moving Camera

 

Ingenio Group, Inc., headed by Program Manager Jeff Etter, worked together with Robotic Camera Technologies, Inc.’s President Chris Dickie and developed a true four-axis camera positioning system. It was designed to provide highly detailed video monitoring of surgical procedures. The video can be integrated into education course design or distributed over the Internet. This particular system is now installed at IDEA, a dental continuing education facility in Foster City, CA.

 

Jeff’s design incorporated IAI America’s Robo Cylinder™ electric linear actuator into Robotic Camera Technologies’ RoboCAM™ X1 robotic camera positioning system. In building the system, IAI’s RCP2 was attached onto a custom casting mounted to a rotary motor on the ceiling. The custom cast boom arm is able to rotate a full 360 degrees and is 1,000 millimeters in length.

 

“The advantages with using the Robo Cylinder™,” Jeff says, “is it is light-weight, low-cost, and the availability of different lengths gave us the flexibility to use it off-the-shelf for the specific length required.” Another important selling point was the aesthetics of the actuator. “It is very attractive and it blended in very well to the medical environment without the industrial look,” says Jeff. “The pan-and-tilt head gives the camera great flexibility for zooming and panning.”

 

Another unique aspect of this system is the ability to provide real-time movement for the user. Most actuators are pre-programmed to do repeated movements but this application handles precise and on-the-fly adjustments.

 

Ingenio Group, Inc., located in Fremont, CA, specializes in designing and building automation systems. The company has been up and running for a year and a half and business is booming with different independent endeavors. Ingenio Group has more projects underway that will be very helpful in the medical equipment industry. For more information on Ingenio Group’s custom systems, call Jeff Etter at (510) 889-1002.

 

Robotic Camera Technologies, Inc. (RCT Inc.) located in San Jose, CA has been in business for two and a half years. The company is focusing on developing tools that enable the health care education market to integrate video into course design. “Our unique system enables high quality video of procedures to be taken without obstructions from the practitioner performing the surgery. IAI’s linear actuator enables us to position the camera perfectly to get those once impossible angles. Basically, we get the cameraman out of the OR.” For more information, call Chris Dickie at (408) 930-9906, or go to www.rctincorporated.com.