Konica Minolta's Healthcare Products Awarded Good Design Awards 2011
-The Cutting-edge Cassette Digital X-ray Detector “AeroDR” and
Desktop CR “REGIUS Σ” Are Recognized for Design Excellency -
Tokyo (October 7, 2011) - Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. (Konica Minolta) is pleased to announce that the cassette digital X-ray detector “AeroDR” and the desktop CR “REGIUS Σ” have been awarded Good Design Awards 2011, organized by Japan Institute of Design Promotion.
World's Lightest*1 Wireless Cassette Digital X-ray Detector “AeroDR”/“CS-7”
The system was praised by the Judges for its outstanding design in achieving the world's lightest weight in the robust cassette case by using carbon fibers, as well as clear and sharp design on the surface to be easily recognized as the exposure surface. In addition, its cradle, designed with large round motif, creates warmth and comfortable impression for patients. The easy-to-use graphic user interface on the display of the console was also praised for enhanced usability. The Judges commented they “will keep high expectation on the company's deep commitment to improve medical environment through design.”
World's Smallest and Lightest*2 Desktop CR
“REGIUS Σ”/“Image Pilot” with Reduced Energy Consumption for Clinics
The REGIUS Σ was highly recognized for transforming conventional on-the-floor CRs into small-footprint desktop CR through complete downsizing based on detailed researches on work environment and available space in low-volume clinics and practices. The Judges commented that “easy-to-understand display and controls are laid out in the front and multi-touch display supports ease of operation for the benefit of front users (doctors), while the mild outer design, without intimidating impression for end users (patients), stays in harmony with the atmosphere of examination room as if it were a part of the interior design.”
- *1
- As of October 7, 2011
- *2
- In volume and weight of digital X-ray image readers with 14x17” exposure size for medical/bright-room use, as of October 7, 2011.
<About Awarded Products>
Cassette Digital X-ray Detector “AeroDR”
DR (Digital Radiography) exposes patients to less radiation than does film imaging and makes it possible to display high-precision images immediately after they are taken. Until recently, however, DR posed significant usability issues in terms of the weight of the equipment and the need for power and data transmission cables. Konica Minolta's “AeroDR” responds to these issues through painstaking engineering that resulted in a significantly lighter system that incorporates wireless technology to eliminate data cables. “AeroDR” resolves usability issues that previously plagued DR and will help to promote the adoption of DR technology.
Desktop CR “REGIUS Σ”
Amid the accelerating application of IT in medical applications, there are growing desires among neighborhood clinics to adopt digital X-ray imaging. In response, Konica Minolta developed the compact, lightweight “REGIUS Σ” desktop CR (Computed Radiography) for use in clinics. “REGIUS Σ” emits no sound while in standby mode and poses no obstacle to medical examinations even when located in the same room. Furthermore, with power consumption of only 100VA, less than 10% that of X-ray film processors, “REGIUS Σ” is an environmentally conscious product that saves electricity and fights global warming.
<About Good Design Award>
The Good Design Award is a comprehensive program for the evaluation and encouragement of design organized by Japan Institute of Design Promotion since 1998, succeeding the original award system founded by Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1957. For more than 50 years, the Good Design Award has been given to outstanding designs for the creation of culture for the new era in the pursuit of prosperous lives and industrial development. Approximately 37,000 Good Design Awards have been given in continuing these efforts, with submissions from a number of companies and institutions from inside and outside of Japan every year. Representing the honor of Good Design Award, “G Mark” has been widely recognized in the public as symbol of top-class design.
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