Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation, Olympus Corporation, and their medical joint venture - Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc. - are announcing that their jointly developed 4K surgical endoscopy system will be commercialized and made available for purchase in early October 2015. It will be sold by Olympus under the brand name "VISERA 4K UHD" and released in the Japanese and European markets. The three companies have been collaborating since 2013 on the development of this 4K surgical endoscopy system, which features cutting-edge 4K technology across its constituent elements, from the light source and the endoscope to the monitor. The companies believe that this makes VISERA 4K UHD a surgical endoscopy system unlike any before it.
Sony Olympus Medical Solutions, Sony, and Olympus will continue to combine their respective expert technologies and specialized knowledge in the realm of next-generation surgical endoscopes. By generating synergies in this way, the companies will strive to make greater contributions to the global medical field and spur its further development. This and other collaborations between Sony and Olympus - including those involving Sony Olympus Medical Solutions - will be branded with the logo below to reflect that they incorporate the superior technologies of both companies.
The Respective Roles of the Three Companies in the Development Process
Sony Olympus Medical Solutions has brought together the core technologies and expertise of Sony (image sensors, image and signal processing, optical transmission, 4K imaging) and Olympus (medical products R&D, deep understanding of the needs of the medical community) and combined them to create a powerful technological base and image processing system for medical devices. Specifically, Sony Olympus Medical Solutions led R&D for the centerpiece products of the VISERA 4K UHD, including the "eye" of the endoscope - the 4K camera head - and the 4K camera control unit that manages the captured images.
Sony contributed its cutting-edge technology and expertise in 4K and digital imaging. For the 4K camera head, Sony provided its 4K Exmor R™ CMOS image sensor, image and signal processing technologies, and miniaturization technologies, which - taken together - make for very high image clarity and advanced functionality. Sony also led the development of the system's 4K medical monitors and its 4K medical recorder*1. In addition, Sony's 4K image transmission technologies made possible the nearly latent-free delivery of 4K visuals from the endoscope to the monitor.
Olympus, as a complete endoscope solution provider, has long engaged in the development and sale of various types of endoscopes meeting the needs of different surgical procedures. The new VISERA 4K UHD system benefits from Olympus' advanced optics technologies, primarily in its ultra telescope, as well as its 4K xenon light source. Leveraging its expertise in the manufacture of medical equipment and in development technologies, Olympus Medical Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Olympus, oversaw the entire design and production process for this new system, including its commercialization*2. Furthermore, VISERA 4K UHD will be sold through Olympus' sales channels, as an offering in Olympus' line of surgical endoscopy systems.