There was a time telemedicine meant holding a heart-rate monitor up to the phone receiver to play an audible signal. Modern telepresence robots like the RP-Vita from InTouch Health do more than put a patient’s diagnostic information in the hands of an offsite doctor, they create a virtual presence that allows physician and patient alike to have an experience startlingly close to the real thing (see figure 1). With sophisticated controls, advanced imaging, and small, quiet FAULHABER DC motors from MICROMO, InTouch brings top-flight medical care to the farthest reaches of the globe.
The RP-Vita is the latest in a family of remote presence (RP) offerings from InTouch. In addition to its RP-Xpress, a hand-held unit for wireless consults; the company makes a pair of manual telepresence carts: the RP-Lite, for ER and ICU use; and the RP-Vantage, a surgical telepresence unit with a boom-mounted camera that can be positioned over a sterile field by a remote user. The RP-7i represents the company’s first foray into autonomous telepresence robots. When it came to designing its most recent system, the RP-Vita, InTouch sought to build an anthropomorphic version that can navigate to a pre-mapped position on demand or give the off-site operator full control over steering, as well as communications, visuals, and data.
The RP-Vita is the latest in a family of remote presence (RP) offerings from InTouch. In addition to its RP-Xpress, a hand-held unit for wireless consults; the company makes a pair of manual telepresence carts: the RP-Lite, for ER and ICU use; and the RP-Vantage, a surgical telepresence unit with a boom-mounted camera that can be positioned over a sterile field by a remote user. The RP-7i represents the company’s first foray into autonomous telepresence robots. When it came to designing its most recent system, the RP-Vita, InTouch sought to build an anthropomorphic version that can navigate to a pre-mapped position on demand or give the off-site operator full control over steering, as well as communications, visuals, and data.