This story is from August 31, 2005

Sick? Don't worry, get rebooted!

BANGALORE: CAD are now making deep cuts into the medical and biomechanics domain, especially in the orthopaedic field.
Sick? Don't worry, get rebooted!
BANGALORE: Have fever? Wish you could be rebooted so you are healthy again? Like Stan? Meet Stan. He is sick all the time. And, sometimes he dies too! This gentleman is not an ordinary mortal but a computer-controlled mannequin robot. When he dies, he is rebooted ��� at the Duke University Medical Center in the US. Stan provides the test platform to study human ailments and speed up the development of new therapies and drugs.
Popular in the world of designing cars and aeronautical engineering products, Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Engineering, are now making deep cuts into the medical and biomechanics domain, especially in the orthopaedic field where you need constant excitement (movement) for growth.
1x1 polls

Says Jeff Brennan, VP of a global product design consulting and technology: "Today, algorithms have become sophisticated enough to simulate body movements and reactions. In the orthopaedic space we can simulate movement and bone growth, especially in cases of metal implants ��� this falls in the topology optimisation area."
Optimisation is about creating the most favourable product so that the whole product design process reduces design costs.
"The goal of a design optimisation application is to duplicate the procedure that the engineer conducts without sacrificing accuracy.
Actually, the mathematical methods underlying the application give it a stronger underpinning," say senior officials of another product design firm.
Using these optimisation techniques companies save thousands of dollars in the manufacturing process.
For instance, ISRO, if it reduces 1 kg from its satellite���s weight, it can save $30,000 at every launch.

Today, the simulation industry is growing at 15% annually. "One major drawback in the use of human body simulation is lack of objective co-ordinates of human performance.
These are vital if simulation has to mirror the impact of any product on the body���s performance," says Dr Rehana Viswanathan, a leading pathologist.
And, Stan with his limited perceptions, continues to live on in the "whole new world of simulation" ��� rebooted every time his system fails, till its creators realise that failure is not an option.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA