CIRS Dynamic Phantom Desktop Application

CIRS is recognized worldwide for tissue simulation technology and the manufacture of phantoms and simulators for quantitative densitometry, calibration, quality control, and research in the field of medical imaging and radiotherapy. CIRS approached Marathon to help develop a control application for their new line of dynamic phantoms. Traditional phantoms are stationary devices manufactured with precision to simulate a certain piece of human anatomy. However, when humans undergo imaging or treatment, our body and systems are in motion. Hence the design of a dynamic phantom that has moving parts to simulate breathing or the beating heart for use in treatment or imaging testing.

Solution

Marathon was brought in to estimate and develop an application that could control the motors in the phantom precisely to the user's specifications. Marathon leveraged Microsoft.NET technology to quickly spin up a visual desktop application that graphically showed the movement signals on the dynamic phantom. This user interface allowed the user to configure the signals and the direction and speed of the phantom's axes. It built the signals from known mathematical signals or allowed users to import their own signal. Marathon was well poised to assist, as our consultants have previously developed applications that were mathematically precise and interacted with other systems. This system interacted with a motion controller that had a basic scripting language that Marathon could construct motion control routines for as well.

Over time, Marathon has extended the application to handle new signals and new types of dynamic phantoms since the original launch of the application. Most recently, Marathon has added support to the application for the Dynamic Cardiac Phantom.