In this case, the team at Eykona Technologies, a medical imaging spin-out from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, were looking to create a system for accurate measurement and clinical characterisation of hard-to-heal wounds such as diabetic and pressure ulcers. Their solution, using patented technology based on research from the University, was a handheld imaging system that produces a full colour 3-D model of the wound.

While developing the interface was a critical element of the project it was only one part of the story. The Eykona team also had to take account of the fact that the technology would have to work across multiple platforms, support global deployment, accommodate customer-specific requirements, and be available in the shortest possible time.

With these requirements in mind the Eykona team turned to Qt Commercial, an established user interface (UI) and cross-platform application framework. As well as the fact that the platform's flexible toolkit would satisfy the technical requirements of the UI in a short development window, the availability of strong technical support from Digia the existence of a strong community of existing users were also key factors in the final selection. Qt Commercial's cross-platform support allowed Eykona to develop the embedded Linux application first under Windows and then deploy to an embedded Linux device (reducing time-to-market by as much as nine months). The platform also allowed the rapid introduction of PC tablet support (including multi-touch functionality such as pinching and zooming) in 10 working days and simplified the adaption of the system to meet specific needs of individual users.

Tuukka Turunen is the director of R&D at Digia Qt Commercial.