Originally Published EMDM March/April 2002
PRODUCT UPDATE
Elan Digital Systems Ltd.|
Return
to Article: |
"To our knowledge, there is no product on the market that deals with the technical issues the way that ours does," says Barnard, who adds that the company has a patent on the design. "The P423 emulates the slot on a standard laptop computer. Competing products are usually dedicated to a particular type of card or computer," he says. "Our unit is truly universal and not limited to one manufacturer's make of computer or a particular PCMCIA card." Medical imaging PC, DAQ PC, Flash memory, and compact Flash cards can be used with this adapter as well as Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, and GSM PC cards.
The P423 has a double slot that enables users to double-up or run two different applications. For example, a data acquisition card and wireless LAN card can be run in tandem, allowing data to be collected, measured, and subsequently transmitted to another department or hospital in a seamless operation. "There is one limitation in the wireless LAN application," notes Barnard. "Because these cards have an aerial bump on them, you can't physically fit two of them in one unit. The clearance on the slots is too small."
Elan has a significant customer base in the dental industry, according to Barnard, where the adapters are used to interface a low-energy camera and a PC. "The camera produces an image through our adapter directly onto the PC, thereby avoiding x-rays. There must be similar potential applications in the medical industry," Barnard adds.
Copyright ©2002 European Medical Device Manufacturer
