QUARC Software at the Heart of a Unique Subterranean Lab

Quanser is a proud partner of a unique research project underway in Canada. Toronto Rehab, Canada's largest academic health sciences centre is home to one of the world's most advanced rehabilitation facilities - Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology (iDAPT). The centerpiece of iDAPT is the Challenging Environment Assessment Lab (CEAL), a huge subterranean research lab with a hydraulic motion simulator where researchers can study interactions between people and their environment. To simulate different conditions, such as icy sidewalk, researchers will use large chambers that can be lifted on and off the simulator. Several Canadian companies mentioned in a recent press release lent their expertise to develop CEAL. Quanser's contribution lays right at the heart of the system: Quanser's real-time control software QUARC controls the simulator itself, enables integration of all instruments and ensures safety of the whole system. All signals from the measurement

devices - motion capture camera, force plates etc. are routed through QUARC. High performance and flexibility of QUARC's Stream API and Hardware-In-The-Loop API allow for rapid integration of all these different components. QUARC also monitors and controls all simulation systems in real time and is responsible for real-time reaction models that dictate responses of various interfaces, including the simulator, the treadmill, the visual display and the audio cueing systems. For example, to create a fall scenario on the instrumented stairs, the reaction model might specify that as soon as the participant exerts a particular force on a particular step, the simulator will be accelerated rapidly. The latency of this process, from measurement system output to simulation system input is less than 25ms.

"The power of QUARC, with Quanser's engineering support," said Dr. Geoff Fernie, Toronto Rehab's Vice President in the interview earlier this year "enabled us to create a flexible development environment for researchers to implement sophisticated real-time experiments, using a large scale 11-ton, 6-DOF motion platform and high-performance audio-visual rendering system. "

To discuss your unique research lab needs, contact info@quanser.com