[en] Teams from the Digital Video Applications Laboratory (LAViD) of the Federal University of Paraíba (Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB), Mackenzie University and the São Paulo Federal University (Universidade Federal de São Paulo – Unifesp) have displayed images of the first laser eye surgery captured with a camera capable of shooting 1000 frames per second at 4K resolution, an ultra-high resolution standard, during the CineGrid, held at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The demonstration allowed the audience to clearly see the laser acting on the cornea of the patient, which cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The video was captured and reproduced uncompressed, at 1000 frames per second (fps), in a transmission rate above 100 Gbps. In addition to that, the images were also shown seamlessly with the Collaboration and Visualization Panel (Sage), a project of the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Chicago, USA. The images of the eye surgery were recorded with a special Phantom camera, capable of producing about one Terabyte (TB) of data every three minutes.
The capture of these images was carried out by teams from the Cinematic Arts Laboratory (LabCine) of Mackenzie University, and the Telessaúde Brasil Redes Laboratory, at Unifesp. From the beginning, the project has been supported by RNP as part of the activities of the Committee for Technological Forecasting in Video Collaboration.
The session was attended by an audience comprising researchers and representatives from research centers and educational institutions from Brazil, the US, Japan and other countries.
Scientific Connection
According to the Unifesp researcher, Cicero Inacio da Silva, the development of this technology will enable residents in ophthalmology, engaged in the field of refractive surgery, to observe the laser acting on the patient, in order to view its effects on the cornea. The ideia is to create the proper conditions so, in the near future, surgeries are broadcasted to several locations, assisting the training of medical residents in ophthalmology.
He said that one of the challenges announced by the Brazilian team during the 2015 CineGrid is to live broadcast a surgery captured at 1000 fps, at 4K, in the next CineGrid, to be held in San Diego in December 2016. The challenge will require approximately 120 Gbps of dedicated connectivity, directly attached to the camera, which does not exist yet between Brazil and the United States, but could be developed soon, so this scientific connection is established in the fields of telemedicine, telehealth, video collaboration and advanced visualization.
Fogo Player
One the technologies that have enabled this successful experience at the CineGrid was the Fogo Player, a software package created by LAViD researchers, which makes possible the projection of videos at 4K resolution, and in 3D (stereoscopy), providing many possibilities of use in sports events, shows and surgical procedures for purposes of continuous education in telemedicine.
Another special feature of the Fogo Player system is to enable the instantaneous communication between those involved in the broadcasted event and the audience, which stresses the importance of its use in distance learning. The project has been developed since 2001, with the support of the RNP.
Links for the image of the presentation @ CineGrid San Diego 2015: https://goo.gl/photos/9mMLHtag6zhrssRn7
Link for the images of the film capture at UNIFESP: https://goo.gl/photos/7LE8FVDCWx2MKffE7
Media: RNP website: https://www.rnp.br/en/noticias/first-laser-surgery-captured-in-1000-frames-per-second-at-4k-resolution
CineGrid Brasil website: http://cinegridbr.org/2015/12/16/cinegrid-brasil-team-shows-ophthalmic-laser-surgery-cinegrid-workshop-2015/
[pt] Cicero Inacio da Silva, Guido Lemos, Eliane Mayumi Nakano e Jane de Almeida, pesquisadores do LAVID/UFPB, do Laboratório de Artes Cinemáticas (LabCine/Mackenzie), do Setor de Cirurgia Refrativa do departamento de Oftalmologia (UNIFESP) e do Laboratório Telessaúde Brasil Redes da UNIFESP, participaram da última edição do CineGrid Workshop 2015, na Universidade da Califórnia, San Diego (UCSD), com uma demonstração da primeira cirurgia oftalmológica a laser captada com uma câmera capaz de filmar 1000 quadros por segundo na definição 4K. A câmera utilizada foi uma Phantom, da empresa Vision Research, especializada em equipamentos de ultra alta resolução. A câmera gera algo em torno de 1 Tb de dados a cada 3 minutos. A captação da cirurgia foi realizada pela equipe do LabCine, da Universidade Mackenzie, em parceria com o Laboratório do Programa Telessaúde Brasil Redes da UNIFESP. A pesquisa contou com o apoio do Setor de cirurgia refrativa, do Departamento de Oftalmologia, da Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Como não existe ainda um player para visualizar os resultados, a equipe do LAVID desenvolveu uma adaptação do FOGO Player, um sistema de visualização de conteúdos em UHD (ultra alta definição), para poder rodar os 1000 frames por segundo em 4K. O resultado obtido foi significativo, pois é possível observar a ação do laser na córnea do paciente, o que não é possível ser visualizado a olho nu. O desenvolvimento dessa tecnologia permitirá que os residentes da área de oftalmologia, ligada ao campo da cirurgia refrativa, possam observar a ação do laser no paciente e poder visualizar os efeitos do laser na córnea. A ideia é poder criar condições para que as cirurgias possam, em um futuro breve, ser transmitidas para diversas localidades, auxiliando na formação de residentes médicos na área da cirugia refrativa. Um dos desafios que a equipe do Brasil levou para o CineGrid 2015 é fazer a transmissão de uma cirurgia captada a 1000 fps em 4K para o próximo CineGrid San Diego em dezembro de 2016. Contudo, o desafio é bastante intenso, pois demandará, nada mais nada menos do que 120 Gbps de conectividade dedicada conectada diretamente à câmera, o que ainda não existe entre Brasil e Estados Unidos, mas que poderá ser desenvolvida em breve para que essa conexão científica se estabeleça no campo da telemedicina, telessaúde, video colaboração e visualização avançada.
