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Presence Examples From Business Edge, "Ontario (Canada) business news - with
an edge" Handshake's solution sidesteps Einstein Firm on leading edge of remote surgery By Julie Stauffer - Business Edge For years, researchers have been struggling to effectively transmit the sense of touch over a network - a feat that would make applications such as remote surgery possible. The fundamental problem was the time delay created by the network, which makes the system unstable. Waterloo-based Handshake VR Inc. believes it has cracked that nut, creating the world's only commercial application that can overcome the so-called "fatal network latency." To understand the problem, imagine pushing against a wall. If you do not feel that contact right away, you will keep pushing, creating more force. Then when you do get feedback that you have contacted the wall, the feedback will be stronger than your initial force and you will compensate by pulling back more than required. The result is a clumsy, see-saw effect. Handshake's solution essentially sidesteps Einstein, says president and CEO Dieter Hensler. "We cannot eliminate the physical principles like time and speed of light. But we have managed to bypass the problem by a technology that has to do with prediction," he says. The Handshake technology uses complex mathematical algorithms to predict what movement the user will make and then rapidly transmits that information — one thousand times per second — to the receiver. If the prediction is wrong, it is corrected almost instantaneously, creating what Hensler says is "a near 100-per-cent hit rate." The technology is unique, says Tim Jackson of Waterloo-based Tech Capital Partners Inc., which provided the firm with venture-capital funding. "The work they've done reflects that they are some of the leading researchers in this field," he says. While the potential applications for the technology are wide-ranging and include remote medicine, bomb disposal and hazardous industrial operations, Handshake has faced the usual problems of a tech startup. The first challenge, Hensler says, was to package the technology in a way that customers who are not experts can easily incorporate a sense of touch into their applications. That was accomplished in April when Handshake introduced proSENSE Virtual Touch Toolbox, software that avoids the need for special programming because the interface is a simple drag-and-drop environment. To date, most of the company's customers have been academics and researchers. "Their technology is so leading edge, in many ways they're having to wait for the market to catch up," Jackson says, adding he believes that within 12 months, the company will make more industry sales. Current customers include Ottawa-based medical researchers MDs Peter Liu of Carleton University and Brahim Chebbi of Algonquin College, who are creating a simulated environment that would allow surgeons to train students remotely. They have set up two identical stations connected by the Internet - one at Carleton University, the other at Algonquin College - that allow users to perform an injection on a virtual rat. By using 3-D goggles to "see" the rat, and a robotic arm to guide the syringe, a trainer at one station can guide the movements of the student at the other. Chebbi and Liu say they are pleased with the performance of Handshake technology. "It feels very natural," says Chebbi, a professor in Algonquin's department of electronics and electro-mechanical studies. "You feel as if you're really poking the rat." They are working on the virtual environment itself to make it more real so they can simulate more complex tasks, he says. The proSENSE toolkit made setting up the system easy, says Liu, who holds the Canada Research Chair in interactive network computing and tele-operation in Carleton's department of systems and computer engineering. "We can use their software and two robotic arms to create the experimental environment very quickly," he says. "It saves us a lot of time and effort." Handshake has also worked closely with Dr. Mehran Anvari at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton. Last fall, Anvari remotely guided the crew of NASA's underwater research station through a number of simulated medical procedures, including gallbladder surgery and suturing of arteries. "Of course, these are first attempts, these are first trials" Hensler says, adding that the success proves it is possible to control a scalpel from thousands of kilometres away. Handshake is working with Anvari on larger projects to realize telesurgery on a bigger scale. Handshake's technology is based on seven years of research done at the University of Waterloo before the privately held company was created in 2001. Last June, a $3-million financing deal was completed with BDC Venture Capital, Trellis Capital Corp. and Tech Capital Partners. The company has also formed technology alliances: One with Quanser Inc., a leading firm in control design technology, and another with SensAble Technologies Inc. - which Hensler describes as the No. 1 provider of force-feedback robotic devices. Handshake now needs to form joint ventures to build complete applications, Hensler says. The company has chosen to focus on the medical sector because of the potential to reduce rising health-care costs by providing treatment at a distance. Hensler says stroke rehabilitation therapy is an example since stroke patients need ongoing treatment to re-establish neural pathways. But that often involves travelling long distances to receive it, so it would be cheaper and easier for a technician to guide the patient through therapeutic exercises via virtual reality. The goal over the next five years, Hensler says, is to build new avenues in telemedicine and become recognized as a pioneer and major player in that industry. It will be a slow process, however. "You and I today are not going to lie on an operating table and let some surgeon in Boston do surgery on us," Jackson says, adding that there are companies working to make telesurgery widely used, providing an opportunity for the use Handshake technology. "Nobody knows whether or not this will become a reality," Liu says. "But I'm very optimistic."
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