Stephen Withers
Monday, 22 June 2009 13:39
Business IT -
Technology
Page 1 of 2
Panasonic's latest Toughbook mobile computer is designed specifically for the health industry. Features of the Toughbook H1 include an easily sanitised shell.
The Panasonic Toughbook H1 is based on Intel's mobile clinical assistant (MCA) reference design, but with substantial refinement by the company's engineers in collaboration with healthcare workers.
Considerations including ergonomics, durability, infection control, battery management and hidden costs were given particular emphasis during the two-year development program. A survey carried out by Panasonic in 2007 found that while a majority of respondents were interested in the MCA concept, and even bigger proportion were dissatisfied with then-current devices due to shortcomings in those areas.
According to John Penn, healthcare development manager at Panasonic Australia, ergonomic aspects include a handle on the top of the unit, modest weight (approximately 1.5 kg), good thermal management, a built-in 'easel' foot, a dual-function (touch or stylus) screen, a front-mounted stylus holder, and a barcode scanner on the base (so that it can be easily pointed by someone holding the H1's handle).
Durability comes from the magnesium chassis, a rugged design (drop tested to 90cm), the shock-mounted removable hard drive, and a sealed, fanless case.
The sealed case with no vents or sockets is easily sanitised, and the skin is made from an alcohol-resistant material. Software for the H1 includes a sanitisation reminder that also keeps an auditable record of cleaning.
Good battery life is achieved with a combination of an Atom CPU, low-power consumption supporting circuits, and high-capacity, dual hot-swappable batteries.
Standard features of the Toughbook H1 include 6-hour battery life, Windows XP downgrade rights, sanitisable handstrap, glare-resistant display, 2MP camera, contactless smartcard reader, RFID reader, fingerprint reader, WiFi, and Bluetooth.
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