3dMD is awarded Phase II of STTR Grant with UNC at Chapel Hill for a Dynamic 4D Facial Soft Tissue Analysis System.

Date: November 2012
Source: Press Announcement
Headline: 3dMD is awarded Phase II of STTR Grant No. 2R42DE019742-02 with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Co-Principal Investigator Dr Carroll Ann Trotman, for a Dynamic 4D Facial Soft Tissue Analysis System.
Atlanta (21-November-12): 3dMD, the 3D surface imaging system and software developer who has actively supported 3D clinical research for more than a decade, announces the availability of its recently re-engineered 60 frames per second (fps) 3dMDdynamic System to support serious research into quantifying and measuring human anatomical function in motion. While historically 4D capture systems have focused on generating virtual avatar effects for application in the film and gaming industries, 3dMD has remained focused on engineering 4D capture systems that generate highly-accurate surface shape data for clinical and human factor application.
Each frame in the 3dMDdynamic 60 fps sequence serves as a true 3D object with high-precision anatomical integrity, which allows crucial micro-expressions or soft tissue deformations in a sequence to be isolated and analyzed in depth.
The release of 3dMD’s latest-generation 4D technology coincides with 3dMD’s award of Phase II of the STTR Grant (Grant Number: 2R42DE019742-02) in conjunction with the School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Co-Principal Investigator Professor Carroll Ann Trotman. After successfully completing the Phase I proof of concept with its second generation 4D technology, 3dMD will expand Phase II research into dynamic objective measures for assessing how a child’s face functions during various facial expressions and speech. In particular, the study focuses on evaluating facial shape change resulting from treatment intervention in children with cleft lip and palate. This project provides the foundation for the next level of widespread global research into objectively evaluating how a patient dynamically responds to intervention, thus establishing a treatment plan blueprint focused on helping patients assimilate naturally into their community.
“While our first production 3dMDdynamic System was installed in 2005, 3dMD has continued to re-engineer as high-throughput hardware components become readily available and more affordable with a key focus on the patient as a subject,” said 3dMD’s CEO Chris Lane. “For example, ever since the introduction of our third-generation 3dMDdynamic System in August 2011, 3dMD has continued to make significant engineering changes to improve image shape accuracy, increase performance space, and eliminate the need for uncomfortable bright light subject illumination during the recording session. Furthermore based on community feedback, 3dMD has advanced its powerful 3dMDvultus software platform with unique functionality for evaluating, quantifying, and comparing very subtle surface movement without the need for applying unwieldy markers or marks to the subject’s face or body.”
The project builds on Professor Trotman’s long term research into quantifying facial mobility. “In Phase I we demonstrated the ability to migrate my earlier research using marker-based motion capture devices to the state-of-the-art sequential 3D surface imaging platform developed by 3dMD,” said Professor Trotman. “This transition will ensure that the anatomical 3D surface images collected during the course of the project will serve as a building block for future 3-dimensional research into the effect of intervention on human expressional behavior and facial function.”
For more information about Phase I of the STTR Grant (Grant Number: 1R41DE019742-01A1), please visit http://www.3dmd.com/sttr-grant-awarded-to-3dmd-llc-university-of-north-carolina/.