Interactive video wall provides color therapy at children’s hospital
It is always difficult on a family anytime a child needs to be hospitalized, and a good hospital recognizes that and finds ways to help families cope. Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, took this approach when it installed an immersive digital experience to help patients and their families take their minds off where they were.
The hospital transformed a space in its new five-story atrium using a 50-foot-wide-by-nine-foot-high, 93-million-pixel digital video wall. Dubbed the “Discovery Zone,” the wall allows more than a dozen kids, teens, and adults to interact at any one time with a fanciful, ever-changing landscape made up of magical creatures and blooming plants, with a suite of music, lighting effects, and nature sounds creating an immersive backdrop.
NEC Display Solutions provided the 45 NEC X464UN 46-inch displays that make up the video wall. The direct LED-backlight LCD displays feature improved brightness uniformity, reduced power consumption, mercury-free components, and a bezel gap of 5.7 mm. DisplayPort 1.2 multistreaming delivers ultra-high-definition resolutions across the entire canvas of displays.
Users control the creatures and plants via Microsoft Kinect 2 gesture recognition cameras installed at the base of the wall. Both cameras and displays are connected to a computer. The cameras’ infrared sensors track body movements and send them back to the computer, which creates a silhouette that is integrated into the LCD display and shown within the digital landscape.
The planning process was long and involved because the software technology was the first of its kind and the environment was so complex. But It was all worth it in the end because of what the software and display technology was able to achieve: an entertaining, therapeutic adventure that can make a stressful experience a little bit better for families and patients.
Dell expands displays with UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8k Monitor
The Dell UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8K Monitor is the world’s first 32-inch 8k resolution display. It has more than 1 billion colors, 33.2M pixels of resolution, 100% Adobe RGB and sRGB color gamut, and a 280 ppi—which is four times more content than Ultra HD 4k resolution and 16 times more content than Full HD. Monitors offering this level of resolution and Dell PremierColor clarity and gradation are important in commercial fields where in-depth image zooming is critical—such as photo and video editing, medicine and diagnostic research, and oil and gas exploration. Its near borderless display gives customers 32 inches of screen real estate in a compact package. Dell
Sony introduced the first medical-grade displays on the market that allow you to upscale your 3D vision in the O.R. to extraordinary 4k clarity. When working with 3D endoscopic systems or performing robotic surgery, the resolution is now 4k—sharp enough to capture more defined details of an image. And these monitors allow everyone in the O.R. to see in 4k3D as well. The technology gives bright images with definition and virtually no pixilation. These 31-inch and 55-inch displays, which work with the daVinci SI robotic system and other 3D endoscopic or robotic systems, provide four times the resolution of HD for unsurpassed clarity of surgical vision. Among their unique features are 4k ULTRA high-definition 3D picture and wider color gamut, Advanced Image Multiple Enhancer technology for 3D that enhances structure and color for more comfortable viewing, and a direct 2D/3D select button. Sony
NEC Display Solutions introduced its latest generation flagship V and P Series commercial-grade displays. Each series consists of three different sizes ranging from 40 inches to 55 inches and now features a lighter and sleeker chassis with a thin bezel, flush surface, smoother edges, and removable logo to accompany a robust metal back cover. They also feature a new antiglare surface coating that further scatters incidental light to allow clear and concise messaging. Designed with a display brightness of 500 cd/m2, the V Series is suitable for commercial customers that need professional 24/7 quality under the common ambient lighting conditions. The P Series is designed with a brightness of 700 cd/m2 to ensure easy readability at the same 24/7 quality for higher ambient lighting conditions. All of the displays have been upgraded with dual HDMI 2.0 ports and DisplayPort 1.2 with daisy-chain capability and now have modular expansion options that allow for flexibility in content distribution and internal processing. NEC has introduced the capability to unobtrusively integrate a Raspberry Pi Compute Module directly into the displays. This built-in functionality provides added advanced computing capabilities for ultimate flexibility. NEC Display Solutions
PDi Communication Systems, Inc. (PDi) specializes in designing and manufacturing interactive entertainment systems for the patient experience. The PDi E-Series TV is a customizable 50-inch footwall display that can be used for HD entertainment and as a communication tool between the facility and patient. This display is compatible with PDi’s Android Module that provides a gateway to an open-source Interactive Patient System which gives access to education content, nurse-patient communications, games, movies, and more. The display provides universal pillow speaker recognition, is UL listed, has a volume limiter, and has a 1920 x 1080 display resolution. PDi Communication Systems
Big Screen surgery
Olympus announced that Big Screen surgery with 4k UHD endoscopy is now available for ear, nose, and throat surgeons through the Olympus VISERA 4k UHD System. VISERA 4k UHD, the first of many products from the Sony Olympus Medical Solutions joint venture, is a state-of-the-art Big Screen surgical system that Olympus unveiled earlier this year to a broad surgical base. The VISERA 4k UHD System delivers four times the resolution of HD with better light and a wider color spectrum.
The fully integrated 4k imaging chain available for healthcare use, VISERA 4k UHD allows operating room personnel to get closer to the operating field as they view cases live on a 55-inch operative display that magnifies anatomical features to deliver more visual information to the entire surgical team. The system was created to address needs in surgical imaging by improving the visual elements essential for sinus surgery—light, color, and resolution—via an optimized 4k imaging chain that works together to improve visibility.
Among the procedures identified as potentially benefiting from 4k UHD are skull base procedures (such as those for the removal of cysts or benign or malignant tumors) and functional endoscopic sinus surgery, a surgical treatment of sinusitis and nasal polyps, including bacterial, fungal recurrent, and acute and chronic sinus problems. Olympus
Increasing patient education
Samsung’s 43-inch 593 Series Slim Direct-Lit LED Healthcare TV for patient education meets the stringent requirements for use in hospital environments. It features a universal pillow speaker interface built into the TV, mobile device integration using Samsung Smart View, content management with Samsung LYNK REACH 4.0, and Pro:Idiom decoding for an expanded lineup of HD channels.
An easy-to-use interface for multiple styles of pillow speakers is built into the TV, improving the patient experience and eliminating the hassle of lost remotes and changing batteries. LYNK REACH 4.0 is a unified content management solution that enhances hospital management, monitoring, and patient education and service functions. The in-room TVs can be remotely managed and deliver personalized service while patients can access a range of IP and RF channels, applications, and services for an improved patient experience. It also accommodates LAN, Wi-Fi, and coaxial infrastructures.
The TV shares content across DLNA-connected Samsung devices including WiDi without the need for a network cable or a connecting device. Samsung Smart View allows screen mirroring and video streaming to enable seamless content sharing and mobile device integration in the hospital room. Samsung
The next-generation Leyard DirectLight LED Video Wall System is a family of seamless, ultra-fine-pitch LED video wall displays. Available in 0.9-, 1.2-, 1.5-, and 1.8-mm pixel pitches, Leyard DirectLight features a 27-inch cabinet with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It includes a system for wall mounting and is fully front-serviceable. With an off-board design and redundant power supplies, Leyard DirectLight is less than 4 inches deep when installed.
The architecture addresses mounting, alignment, space constraints, reliability, fault-tolerance, fast service, power efficiency, scalability, and long life. Precise pixel pitches ensure exact full HD 4k or 8k resolution.
The video wall includes the DirectLight Remote Power Supply (RPS). The RPS fits in a standard 19-inch rack and takes heat, depth, noise, weight, service points, and electrical outlets away from the video wall and into a well-ventilated rack room. It features n+1 redundant, hot-swap power modules and is available with 110-V and 220-V power. The RPS has a low power standby mode for video walls not operating 24/7 and offers features for control and monitoring.
With the Leyard EasyAlign Mounting System, Leyard DirectLight LED video walls are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Six-axis alignment features ensure the video wall is aligned and seamless. The mount enables front service access to not only the LED display, but also to all components and cabling in the video wall. Positive locking features ensures the video wall does not shift and enables safe installations with forward tilt (up to 10 degrees) while enabling 90-degree corner installations and faceted curved video walls. Planar
