This HaiVision Systems press release (pdf) reports their MAKO-HD video encoder/decoder technology has been used to transmit live surgical stereoscopic 3D high definition 1080i video from Intuitive Surgical’s daVinci S robotic surgical system. From the press release: "Orchestrated by Capital Health's Centre for the Advancement of Minimally Invasive Surgery and BEAM Regional Telehealth, attendees at the CUA meeting at the Shaw Conference Center are witnessing a comparison between robotic and traditional approaches to a urology procedure (radical prostatectomy).

The 4th International Symposium on Visual Computing will be held on December 1-3, 2008 at Las Vegas. Paper submissions are due before July 21. From the symposium website: "The purpose of the International Symposium on Visual Computing (ISVC) is to provide a common forum for researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners throughout the world to present their latest research findings, ideas, developments and applications in the broader area of visual computing.

ISCV seeks papers describing contributions to the state of the art and state of the practice in the broad field of visual computing. In particular, ISVC is structured around four central areas of visual computing: (1) computer vision, (2) computer graphics, (3) virtual reality, and (4) visualization. In particular, we are interested in papers that combine technologies from two or more of these areas.

This Technology Review article takes a look at the WAVEscape system developed by Reactrix. From the article: "There could be a revolution brewing in billboard advertising. Instead of simply presenting a static image, why not let people interact with the advertisement? This is the vision of electronics giant Samsung and interactive advertising company Reactrix Systems. The two companies have partnered to bring 57-inch interactive displays to Hilton hotel lobbies by the end of the year. These displays can "see" people standing up to 15 feet away from the screen as they wave their hands to play games, navigate menus, and use maps.

This CrunchGear article talks about the Virtual-Eye High End Wearable Display Device (HEWDD-768) presented at the 16th Industrial Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo. From the article: "Yesterday I attended the 16th Industrial Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo to find some cool tech to cover for CrunchGear. However, a lot of what I saw was just boring stuff. Advanced maybe, but boring: motion capturing systems, VR games, 3D projectors etc.

One exception was the so-called “High End Wearable Display Device” HEWDD-768. The VR helmet has been around for a while now, but I was able to scrutinize the newest version of the product and shoot a video. The display was presented by Crescent [JP], a Tokyo-based technology company.

This Autocar article reports Jaguar Land Rover has finally opened its Virtual Reality Centre (we discussed about it previously in this post). From the article: "Jaguar Land Rover has opened its new ‘Virtual Reality Centre’ at the Design and Engineering Centre in Gaydon. The company has invested £2 million in the new technology to speed up product development.

The design facility will use advanced virtual reality software and the world’s highest-resolution projectors to allow engineers and designers wearing 3-D glasses to interact with life-size models of vehicles and components.

JLR hopes that the system will reduce the need for expensive physical prototypes as they claim it is capable of simulating vehicle exteriors and interiors at an almost photo-realistic resolution.

This Medical News Today article reports the correlation of videotape scores (VS) of actual surgical procedures, as assessed by the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification (ESSQ) System to motion analysis data on the LapMentor system, a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator. From the article: "The development of realistic simulators for various minimally invasive surgery techniques may potentially provide comprehensive training, a method to maintain surgical skills, and evaluation and certification of surgical competence.

This ThomasNet press release reports WorldViz releases the PPT-H high-end tracking system based on intelligent cameras and the new PPT Studio 2008 software which is the first immersive Virtual Reality tracking system that expands up to 32 cameras. From the press release: "The PPT-H high-end tracking system based on intelligent cameras and new PPT Studio 2008 software is the first immersive Virtual Reality tracking system that expands up to 32 cameras.

This centredaily.com article reports Dassault Systemes announced its international Virtual Reality Experience and 3D Entertainment contest which challenges competitors to invent a multiplatform 3D real time application geared toward the general public using 3DVIA Virtools technology. From the article: ""The world of general public entertainment is reaching a new paradigm, lead by VR technologies for immersive, interactive, emotionally-charged experiences in 3D," says Mehdi Tayoubi, director of interactive media at Dassault Systemes. "Dassault Systemes is committed to innovation and with this contest is helping to create a next generation of VR creatives."

This NewScientistTech article reports a wireless antenna that channels signals along human skin, developed at Queen's University Belfast, could broadcast signals over your body to connect up medical implants or portable gadgets. From the article: "The new power-efficient approach could make more of established medical devices like pacemakers or help future implants distributed around the body work together.

Just one of the small hockey-puck-like antennas developed at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, would be able to connect to gadgets anywhere else on the body, says William Scanlon who made the design with colleague Gareth Conway.

This NewScientistTech article reports a device that relays a person's body movements to an array of electrodes on their tongue, developed at TIMC lab, could help people with balance problems recover their poise, or wheelchair users avoid pressure sores. From the article: "The wireless "tongue display" being used by French researchers is worn in the mouth like an orthodontic retainer. A matrix of 36 electrodes on the underside transmits electrical impulses to the tongue.

"The sensation is a kind of 'ticklish' feeling," says Yohan Payan, a researcher at the TIMC lab near Grenoble, France.