Panasonic has partnered with the Australian Dental Association NSW Centre for Professional Development (ADA) to pioneer the technology, opening the way to advance medical training and visually assisted practices.

The Panasonic KX-VC600 HDVC today streamed 3D content from the ADA NSW Centre for Professional Development in St Leonards, to an industry conference in nearby Darling Harbour. When fully deployed, the solution will be capable of carrying 3D video conferencing signals to inter-State or even overseas locations.

Business Systems Group general manager marketing Marc Amelung says the solution is the first of its kind to be used in Australia.

“This is a landmark moment for the provision of telehealth in Australia and for Panasonic. Today’s trial marks the culmination of four years of development and negotiation,” Marc says.

“ADA is setting the agenda in the technical provision of professional training and will help demonstrate the full potential of this exciting new technology. Panasonic is very excited to be involved in this partnership with such an innovative organisation; their Sydney training centre is truly impressive.”

The state-of-the-art Panasonic KX-VC600 HDVC System works by using sophisticated video compression technology that allows HD video conferencing images over a conventional internet connection. Panasonic HDC-Z10000 2D/3D cameras and Plasma panels are used to capture and display the 3D images.

The NSW Centre for Professional Development provides practical training to more than 13,000 dentists, dental hygienists and other staff on topics from classic clinical procedures to medical emergency training and simulations.

ADA NSW Centre for Professional Development production manager Brett Tyler says the partnership will make a range of new training options possible.

“This technology allows us to deliver education programs that wouldn’t have been possible with other existing technology. We can now potentially host interactive training events in remote locations that previously would not have had access to the needed facilities or presenters,” Brett says.

“This also means a huge reduction in travel and accommodation costs normally involved in attending training classes in Sydney. With this we can also explore options such as having two locations sharing a presenter across two audiences at two facilities, the opportunities are truly exciting.”

The centre will also use HD Panasonic broadcast cameras and plasma displays, including a sizeable 103” plasma, to record what is happening in the dental surgery, giving audiences in a lecture theatre next door a real time “surgeon’s eye view” of clinical procedures, materials and techniques. Additionally, the ADA Centre will also use Panasonic Full HD AW-HE870 and AW-HE120 broadcast cameras supplied via dealer Lemac as part of the partnership.

The Centre boasts full media production capabilities in house, which allow it to record surgeries, lectures and audio interviews for an online library, and produce various media products like audio magazines and webcasts.