What Is This? Can It Save My Life?

By: Atilla Newman Staff Writer Atilla@biznetonline.com

The Personal Monitor (PM)
is a unique product which produces a high resolution
color video image that appears in the user's eyesight.

Being ultra lightweight, the Personal Monitor is
extremely suitable for mobile applications,
and applications which require concentration
and focus on details.

The Personal Monitor (PM) projects a high resolution color video image that appears in the person's line of sight in a viewing angle comparable to viewing a 26" monitor from 2 meters (6.5 feet) away. The video image is see-around; it covers only the area where the image appears, otherwise users are free to view the surrounding environment.

The Personal Monitor provides an added convenience by maintaining the image the viewer is looking at. While the PM provides a constantly available image in the person's line of sight, it enables the viewer to maintain focus and attention and it keeps the integrity of the surrounding environment. The advantage will be immediate in decreased processing time and in increased precision.

The Personal Monitor is a monoscopic binocular display with a relatively narrow field of view. The Personal Monitor can receive video signals from any video source. The signals are converted (in the controller unit) into signals driving the electronics of the LCD displays. The PM takes standard video signals and displays them on a small TFT LCD display that can be connected to any standard video source.

The PM consists of a monitor block, eyeglasses, cable and controller box. The monitor block contains the display, a backlight and its driver for the LCD, and a system of lenses and mirrors that project the display image into the retina of the eyes. The light beams coming from the display are reflected in two directions by the dividing mirrors placed in front of the display. The monitor block has a mounting slot that fits into the vertical nosepiece of the eyeglasses.

The controller box contains the video input demodulator unit and the driving electronics of the LCD display. The LCD direct display control signals are sent through a flexible shielded cable to the display. The eyeglasses have adjustable temple pieces and each unit comes with a commercially available 9V AC-DC adapter.

A sample application :

In endoscopic procedures the conventional video monitors are placed away from the site of the operation. As a result, the surgeon has to constantly divide his/her attention between the conventional monitor that shows the endoscopic image and the site of the operation.

The remote location of the monitor and its orientation in the surgical setting have an effect on both the doctor's perception of the surgical field, and the difficulties encountered when interacting with it. Much of the difficulty encountered by a surgeon when learning the techniques video-endoscopy, relate to the disconnection between instrument movements on the video monitor. The doctor must relearn the image to tissue relationship at each procedure, and with each manipulation of the camera.
With this de-coupled image, the hand-eye coordination of the doctor suffers. For example, with a 90 degree rotation of the camera, an intended movement South North direction, will result in a display movement in an East to West direction, presenting the doctor with a working field that is difficult to comprehend.

Atilla Newman is the owner of A & M Technologies, a computer hardware builder located in Northridge California
A Value Added Reseller and distributor of IBM PC and Macintosh Compatible Systems, parts and Peripherals.

And can be contacted at (818) 998-0808
or at their web site @
http://www.anmtec.com

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Last modified: November 08, 2002