A remote collaboration system for telemedicine using the Internet

We have developed a still-image telemedicine system for the Internet. It was implemented with the Java programming language and enables remote collaboration between two or more client computers located anywhere on the Internet. Each client requires only a PC or workstation and a popular Internet browser--no special hardware or software is required. We carried out both local-area and wide-area tests of the system. On a local network, JPEG images at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels took 2-5 s to display on four different clients (PCs or workstations); at 1000 x 1000 pixels, the images took 10-65 s. We also tested the system between two universities in Japan, one in Italy and one in the USA, using the Internet for communications. Images required 4-20 s for display. The exchange of remote collaboration commands between the four locations was good and the maximum lag in mouse pointer movement was less than 1 s. The system has the potential to solve three problems of conventional telemedicine systems: their cost, the need for high-bandwidth telecommunication and the low compatibility between them.