Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI) partnered with us to develop the Universal Simulation Engine (USE), consolidating components, cutting simulator costs by 40%, and eliminating obsolescence risk through advanced embedded and FPGA technologies.
Customer Profile
Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI) manufactures high-fidelity human patient simulators used globally to train medical professionals, EMTs, and military personnel in real-world emergency scenarios.
Challenge
METI's human patient simulators mimic medical conditions through bleeding, breathing, talking, and more to prepare users for real-life emergencies. Their original simulator line, approaching end-of-life, was facing rising costs and obsolescence issues. METI needed to reduce costs, streamline hardware across adult and pediatric models, and improve maintainability. They sought a future-proofed platform that would minimize maintenance disruptions and extend product viability.
It was essential to maintain high simulation fidelity while reducing reliance on aging hardware components. To address these challenges, METI partnered with our team to architect a modern, flexible, and upgradable simulation platform for their next generation of human patient simulators.
Solution Summary
We developed a Linux-based, FPGA-enabled Universal Simulation Engine that supports all simulator models and reduces costs while enabling in-field updates.
Solution
Working with METI, our team designed a Universal Simulation Engine (USE) flexible enough for all patient simulator models—from adult to infant. The solution featured a Linux-based System-on-Module (SoM) paired with a custom baseboard and FPGA technology.
The FPGA allowed real-time updates in the field, while our software engineers built a communications interface enabling the Linux application to control motors, audio, and other vital functions. This architecture consolidated components and dramatically lowered costs. We assumed end-to-end responsibility for the manufacturing supply chain, including PCB and box build assembly using lean principles.
Our design engineers managed the successful transition from METI’s prior vendor to our manufacturing floor. The result: a compact, cost-effective, future-proof simulation engine capable of serving multiple device generations and maintaining high-fidelity functionality.
Result
The new simulation engine reduced overall costs by 40% and eliminated obsolescence risk through FPGA-based in-field updates. METI streamlined all simulator models onto one platform, cutting manufacturing complexity. Our lean engineering and production practices ensured scalable, efficient delivery.
FPGA, USE
