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Product Notices

Win10 Compliance

Posted on Oct 11, 2019

Do NOT upgrade your Dexterit-E/GUI Computer to Windows 10!

We are aware that due to the deprecation of Windows 7, many IT departments are insisting that all computers connected to their network must run on Windows 10.

However, as the Dexterit-E computer is customized to run your Kinarm Lab, the Windows operating system cannot be upgraded to Windows 10 without adversely affecting your Kinarm Lab.

11-Oct-19 Update: We are creating an upgrade kit for your Dexterit-E computer that will be available by Jan-20. This upgrade will only be available for Dexterit-E Computer PN 13108 or 13950 (Advantech ‘silver box’ computer) and will include a dedicated video card (Win 10 does not support our required video performance.)

If you have an older ‘black box’ GUI computer, we suggest you either request a Dexterit-E computer upgrade or that you remove your Kinarm lab from the university’s network in order to meet their compliance requirements. Dexterit-E does not need an active connection to the internet to run.

Contact: support@kinarm.com or sales@kinarm.com for further support.

Advisory Notice: M-Score Error in KST, Dex 3.6 release, resolved 28-Mar-18

Posted on Mar 28, 2018

Update 28-Mar-18: this issue is now resolved with the availability of Dexterit-E Explorer 1.4

History:

An email has been sent to all KST Licensees on 30-Nov-17, stating the following:

During our development of the next version of KINARM Standard Tests analyses, it came to our attention that there was an error in the Dexterit-E 3.6 calculation of the M-score for some tasks.  (M-score is found only in the analysis CSV files.)  We can assure you that the identified error did not have any effect on Task Scores.

 The affected tasks (as determined by a correlation of the M-scores, pre-fix compared to post- fix, of between 0.75 – 0.95) are:

  • Object Hit
  • Object Hit & Avoid
  • Trail Making
  • Visually Guided Reaching
  • Reverse Visually Guided Reaching
  • Ball-on-Bar

Tasks that were not significantly affected (as determined by a correlation of the M-scores, pre-fix compared to post- fix, of >0.95) are:

  • Arm Position Matching
  • Spatial Span
  • Elbow Stretch

If you need to publish or present data on M-Scores before the end of January (the planned release date of corrected analyses in Dexterit-E Explorer), please let us know ASAP and we will provide assistance.

We sincerely regret the error and want to ensure your continued trust in these leading-edge analyses.  Should you have any questions about our verification and validation methods, please feel free to contact us.

Kind regards,

The team at BKIN

Meltdown & Spectre Vulnerability: Advisory has ended as of 19-Mar-18

Posted on Jan 11, 2018

Update: 19-Mar-18: We have ended the advisory.  Our testing has satisfied our concerns that Microsoft patches could affect performance.  You may apply updates to your Windows OS.

Update 19-Jan-18: we continue to assess the impact of the patches to our processors.  Evidence of significant impacts continues to be documented in the press: Engadget Article 19-Jan-18

In light of Microsoft’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities by issuing Windows OS patches, BKIN is asking all users to NOT apply any Windows Updates to their Dexterit-E or “GUI” computer running a KINARM Lab until we advise you that they are safe to apply.

The Windows updates are known to impact processor speed and thus may put your KINARM lab function and data at risk.

If you are shutting down your Dexterit-E computer and see the yellow (!) symbol beside the shutdown button this indicates that Windows will install updates when you shutdown. In order to shutdown Windows without applying the updates you can: use Ctrl-Alt-Del, then in the bottom  right of the screen select shutting down without applying updates.

We are currently assessing the impact of these updates.  There have been reports of “bricked” machines where the patches that have been rushed out don’t work.  The first line of defense with these vulnerabilities is an updated web browser. Chrome will update automatically when it starts.

We will test these updates on a sample of Dexterit-E versions and Computer models, and then advise you of the result.

An article on the subject may be found here: https://www.wired.com/story/meltdown-and-spectre-vulnerability-fix/

Should you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@bkintechnologies.com

Dexterit-E 3.6.3 released

Posted on Jul 20, 2017

Dexterit-E 3.6.3
July, 2017

Dexterit-E 3.6.3 has several important updates for usability, stability and maintenance. This is considered a highly recommended update.
Of special note to KINARM Standard Task (KST) users are two changes:
• Ball on Bar task has been updated to allow the operator to command the task to move
the subject’s arms to the starting targets.
• Arm position matching, Ball on Bar, and Spatial Span tasks have all had force limits
imposed in order to avoid motor overheating issues. A review of our normal control data
shows that the force limits chosen should have negligible effect (for Ball on Bar, ~2% of
normal subjects would have been affected for ~2% of the task duration; for Arm
Position Matching, ~4% of normal subjects would have been affected, typically for a
single trial; for Spatial Span 0% of normal subjects would have been affected)

Please see our release notes for a complete list of changes and fixes. Before upgrading, please be sure to read the section on “Considerations for upgrading from Dexterit-E 3.5 to 3.6“.

If you are currently on Dex 3.5 or lower, in order to run Dexterit-E 3.6.3 you will need to contact support@bkintecknologies.com to obtain a new license key.

Dexterit-E Explorer 1.3 Released!

Posted on Nov 2, 2016

Just in time for Neuroscience 2016 we are pleased to release Dexterit-E Explorer version 1.3.

There are a number of new features:

  • the ability to analyze data and create reports from KINARM Standard Test exam files;
  • the ability to view the Task Protocol that ws used during an exam
    • you need to use Dex 3.6.1 or later to collect the data – sorry!
  • the ability to edit Task Protocols (*.DTP) created using Dex 3.4 or later
  • the ability to search the Subject database

Complete details are in the Release Notes.

Anyone can download Dexterit-E Explorer from our website; no user login is required!

New KINARM Exoskeleton Released!

Posted on Apr 7, 2016

The classic Scott KINARM was great, but now it is even better…

IMG_3301• Stiffer: A completely new linkage design has increased both vertical and in-plane mechanical
stiffness by 2-3 times. Stiff force channels are now possible.

Vertical out-of-plane stiffness: 8,500 N/m
End-point in-plane mechanical stiffness: ~16,400 N/m

• Greater Accessibility to the Head: The motors are mounted below the shoulders thus enabling full access to the head. Now you can use TMS – and any other head-mounted peripheral – without having to “squeeze it in”.


IMG_1952• 25% More Torque: 16.5 Nm (peak), 5.5 Nm (continuous)

• No More Analog: The electronics have been upgraded to all digital communication using the EtherCAT protocol.

• Quiet and Smooth: With EtherCAT, we’ve changed the servo amps, eliminating the audible noise and slight jitter felt with the Classic. Subjects perceive smoother movements.

The NEW KINARM Exoskeleton is now generally available.  Contact: sales@bkintechnologies.com for more information and pricing.

Download the KINARM Exoskeleton’s New Look