3-D robotic tele-surgery and training over next generation wireless networks.

The latest advances on robotic surgery enable the performance of many surgical procedures by utilizing minimally invasive techniques. In particular, recent 3-D endoscopes have improved the performance of minimally invasive surgical procedures. Based on these advances, performing or visualizing in real-time surgical procedures at a distance can be envisaged. In this paper, we present a performance evaluation of 3-D robotic tele-surgery and training over next generation wireless networks, namely wireless networks based on the long term evolution (LTE) 3GPP standard. Different scheduling strategies are compared and results are analyzed in term of the resulting quality of experience (QoE) for the surgeon.

Flexible Macroblock Ordering for Context-Aware Ultrasound Video Transmission over Mobile WiMAX.

The most recent network technologies are enabling a variety of new applications, thanks to the provision of increased bandwidth and better management of Quality of Service. Nevertheless, telemedical services involving multimedia data are still lagging behind, due to the concern of the end users, that is, clinicians and also patients, about the low quality provided. Indeed, emerging network technologies should be appropriately exploited by designing the transmission strategy focusing on quality provision for end users. Stemming from this principle, we propose here a context-aware transmission strategy for medical video transmission over WiMAX systems. Context, in terms of regions of interest (ROI) in a specific session, is taken into account for the identification of multiple regions of interest, and compression/transmission strategies are tailored to such context information. We present a methodology based on H.264 medical video compression and Flexible Macroblock Ordering (FMO) for ROI identification. Two different unequal error protection methodologies, providing higher protection to the most diagnostically relevant data, are presented.