Ambient Experience in diagnostic
hospital rooms

A highly innovative concept introduced by Philips, Ambient Experience (AE) provides creative interaction between visual, audio and other sensory elements. The successful combination of technological excellence with a focus on patients and care givers brings greater patient satisfaction. It also provides more efficient procedures and a faster through-flow, leading to lower costs. Philips Applied Technologies has combined and harmonized the diverse technologies needed to bring AE to life in feasible first-of-a kind concepts in healthcare and hospitality.

Since the first demonstration of Ambient Experience at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) exhibition in 2003 developments in the medical area have expanded into MR and CT rooms and catheterization labs, and feasibility studies into other areas such as hotels and retail stores are underway.  

Translate concepts into solutions

Philips Applied Technologies has been largely responsible for integrating the technologies embodied in AE and for developing the control software. In many instances it has taken the role of facilitator, working with Philips Design and product divisions within the company to translate concepts into specific AE technology solutions.  

In the medical field, the MR examination room was one of the first areas addressed. Here patients are undergoing (relatively long) MR exams. They are likely to appreciate the benefits of AE. For the creative lighting solutions, the large magnetic field generated by MR scanners ruled out the use of normal lighting fixtures within the MR room and a solution was developed using fiber-optic light guides. More recently, the use of LEDS (which provide a broader color palette) with remote driver electronics has been investigated. A special magnetically-shielded ceiling housing for holding beamers to display scenes and moving images has also been developed. And whilst adult patients can select scenes using touch screens, children can choose an RFID picture card that automatically switches the exam room to display their favorite cartoon characters.  

Helping workflow

For CT rooms and for cath labs, the emphasis has been more on improving the environment for the clinical staff and helping workflow. This includes the development of partition glass that switches between clear and opaque at the touch of a button, and special sink mirrors that transform into a display showing specific patient data for the surgeon to study while scrubbing up before a catheterization procedure. RFID technology has also been used here to provide patient tags to automatically ensure that patients get the correct CT scan.  

Ambient Experience can be applied across all medical areas

With the exception of solutions introduced to meet the challenges of the MR’s high magnetic fields, most of the solutions are generic and can be applied across all medical areas as well as in the hospitality and retail industries.