Panasonic Australia is providing rugged technology – including Toughbook computers and LUMIX cameras – to support the Worldriderz motorcycle ride from Sydney, Australia to Paris, France to benefit Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) research.
The WorldRiderZ goal is to raise awareness and money to support ongoing CKD research at Sydney Children’s Hospital, a world leader in paediatric renal and urological treatment. Funds raised will benefit research and the building of a ‘Global Renal Network’ to share information with Renal and Urology medical professionals across the five continents the WorldRiderz will visit during the three-month journey.
You will be able to follow the whole trip right here on the blog where we will be providing regular updates, and you can also follow the trip through the official Facebook page here or follow the adventure on Twitter here and make a donation on the official site here
Here is WorldRiderZ founder, Stephane Etienne, introducing the concept and describing his motivations for the trip:
Having departed on 24 July from Sydney Children’s Hospital, the WorldRiderZ are travelling throughout Australia and parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe on a 3-month adventure visiting World Health Organization-recommended renal and urological paediatric units to identify the need for equipment, supplies, and access to research and financial support. The Panasonic suite of products accompanying the Worldriderz include the field-rugged CF-19 Toughbook, which they will use as a communications tool to email updates to their supporters; and two rugged ultra-mobile U1 models that will be mounted on the bikes to support GPS navigation.
“We needed rugged technology that could not only allow us to navigate, communicate and capture our journey; but also support our visits to the many doctors and medical professionals that we want to establish links with on the way.”
Stephane Etienne, WorldRiderz Founder
Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has acquired the resulting documentary series of the WorldRiderZ journey for broadcast in 2011 throughout the Asia-Pacific. A five-person production crew will create multiplatform content for the network, including a 6-episode sixty-minute series. Still and video footage for the WorldRiderz blog will be shot on two rugged Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FT2 cameras that are 10m water proof, 10m drop proof, dust proof and -10º frost proof, and a SD-700 camcorder. Crucially, Stephane and the WorldRiderZ crew will also be using a mobile computer specifically designed for healthcare -- the Toughbook H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant – to communicate and work with doctors and hospitals in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
“Panasonic is proud to be part of this very important journey and to help Worldriderz be as productive as possible in helping fight this tragic disease.”
Emma Laing, Marketing Executive, Panasonic Australia
The Toughbook H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant provides the healthcare profession with a full-featured mobile device that can withstand the rigours of the fast-paced healthcare environment, while offering improvements in workflow productivity, quality and mobility – combining to achieve greater outcomes in patients. The product has already been adopted by a number of public and private hospitals worldwide and in Australia.
