(To visit Penn Vet’s website and learn more about the EQUIMAGINE system, click here.)
CVM designed and provided construction review of a machine foundation system for an EQUIMAGINE robotic imaging system at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. It is the first such system to be installed at a teaching hospital anywhere in the world.
Developed by Penn Vet and 4DDI, each robot in the two-robot system features an extendable arm with a rotating scanning instrument mounted at the end. As an arm unfolds over, under or around a standing horse, the scanning instrument turns, drawing a path across a targeted area to produce high-quality reconstructions and 3D images in as little as 30 seconds. The mobility and efficiency of each scanner allows the horse to remain awake and standing, eliminating the need for anesthesia, thereby reducing cost and risk of injury to the patient.
CVM’s primary design consideration was stabilizing equipment that can be rendered ineffective by extraneous motion. This included allowing for abrupt stops or changes in directions of the robotic arms that could occur as a result of malfunctions. Design constraints included the existing conditions, as the robots were installed around a treadmill located inside a barn on the New Bolton campus.
Penn Vet hopes that the technology will result in earlier and more frequent diagnostic imaging, improving animal health and well-being. Eventually, the system could be adapted for use in hospitals with children who are too young to hold still during an MRI or CAT scan.