This cloud endoscopy system utilizes Olympus' advanced technology for endoscopes to perform image processing, which has been conventionally processed within the endoscopic equipment, on a remote cloud. This has been difficult to achieve with conventional network technology.
1. Background
An endoscope is a medical device in which a flexible tube is inserted into the natural openings of the body to perform an examination and obtain tissue samples. Instances where endoscopes can be utilized are increasing year by year due to the equipment's low level of invasiveness and high level of safety, and the technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated.
When the endoscope was first introduced, it was a revolutionary device that allowed users to view the inside of the body in real time. Since then, it has progressed even further by supporting highdefinition images, introducing Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) using optical technology, and enabling the collection of samples simultaneously with observation. Recently, advanced support functions have been introduced, such as displaying potential lesions to the operator from the images taken by the endoscope, contributing to the early detection of lesions with greater safety and certainty.
Currently, endoscopes have performance and maintenance limitations. In addition, it is expected that more cases in the future will require flexible feature improvements and updates based on new user needs, such as real-time remote diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, there is discussion on cloud computing endoscopes, in which some functions with a high processing load, such as image processing, can be done in the cloud.
By sharing the processing load with GPUs on the cloud built-in data centers, users can receive the latest functions through software updates on the cloud and enable real-time remote diagnosis and treatment by sharing video information among multiple hospitals.
In addition to transitioning existing systems to the cloud, major network-related technical challenges include:
- Realizing a high-speed, low-latency network with no delay between the endoscope and the cloud. Conventional networks require a long data transfer time which is unfavorable for the physicians.
- Ensuring the high-quality connectivity required for medical endoscopes by promptly detecting abnormalities, such as network failures that would make the cloud unavailable, and providing minimum functions locally in such cases (fallback function).
- Implementing advanced security measures on the data transfer path that are difficult even for quantum computers to decode to transmit information safely and accurately.
2. Details of the demonstration experiment
To realize a cloud endoscopy system,
- Verify that the processing delay associated with the cloud does not occur by connecting the endoscope and the server simulating the cloud via an optical transmission path with high speed and low latency.
- Verify that the system can achieve the high reliability and availability required for medical devices, including fallback in the event of a network failure.
- Verify that information security can be ensured by encrypting information between the endoscope and the cloud using secure optical transport network technology3, which is difficult to attack even using quantum computers.
Based on the knowledge gained from the demonstration experiment,
3. Roles of each company
(1)
(2) Olympus
Olympus has the top market share in the global endoscope field and is promoting the concept of a cloud endoscopy system, in which the sophisticated functions of endoscopes are computed on the cloud. In this demonstration experiment, Olympus will provide the specific requirements and evaluation items for the cloud endoscopy concept, as well as the endoscopic equipment for the demonstration experiment.
4. Outlook
Through this demonstration experiment, the two companies will confirm the feasibility of the cloud endoscopy system and help address social issues such as expanding access to advanced medical care. In addition,
[1] Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN)
The IOWN is comprised of three components: the "All Photonics Network (APN)," which makes it possible not only for networks but also for terminal processing; the "Digital Twin Computing," which enables advanced and real-time interaction between objects and humans in cyberspace; and the "
[2] All Photonics Network (APN)
By introducing new optical technologies from the network to terminals and chips, APN achieves ultra-low power consumption and ultra-high-speed processing, which has been difficult to achieve. By assigning wavelengths to each function on a single optical fiber, we can provide multiple functions that support our social infrastructure, including information and communication functions such as the Internet and sensing functions, without interfering with each other.
[3] Secure Optical Transport Network Technology
Technology for realizing secure information communication even in the age of quantum computers by sharing a common key between optical transmission devices using Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and encrypting the communication with the key.
https://www.rd.ntt/e/research/JN202111_16202.html
About
About Olympus
At Olympus, we are committed to Our Purpose of making people's lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. For more information, visit https://www.olympus-global.com/ and follow our global X account: @Olympus_Corp.
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