“Tracking fast-moving targets and maintaining prism lock is now easier on challenging job sites as well as in machine guidance applications. If you’re performing a machine control project where the prism is vibrating on the end of the blade, for instance, the GT will lock onto the prism better and provide smoother machine guidance,” Kerwin said.

The law is clear that people traveling on an airplane with a portable dialysis device such as a PD cycler or NxStage hemodialysis machine should not encounter any difficulties. However, problems still happen, so be prepared. The intent of the DOT regulations, Guidance on the Transport of Portable Dialysis Machines by Travelers with Disabilities is to remind airlines of their obligations and inform people with disabilities of their rights regarding the use and transport of portable dialysis machines.

The complete GT series workflow solution — Magnet software, FC-6000 field computer, and HiPer Series GNSS receivers — combine for easy-to-use digital processes designed to help surveyors and contractors increase precision, reduce rework and improve quality control.

“Surveyors, contractors, as well as heavy machinery automation operators and other construction professionals can benefit from the time-savings and accuracy the series provides,” Kerwin said.

When I arrived in St. Louis at the Cape Air ticket counter, the man complained that Cape Air should not be taking my machine and they had to vacate seats for it, etc… He would not take the machine as a checked bag at the ticket counter, as it had been done before. Instead, I had to go through TSA especially for the machine, a TSA manager had to be called, and it turned into a big deal that took 90 minutes. After I got home and shared my story, NxStage, suggested that I file a complaint with the Department of Transportation.

“The new total stations perform at a faster 10-Hz positioning update rate,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global product planning. “Combining the GT series with the new field computer and software enhancements, this tracking improvement makes layout easier and guidance more fluid, within an intuitive map view. More layout and survey points can be collected in less time.”

Unfortunately, before I headed home on Friday, September 26, 2014,I received a phone call from Cape Air customer service stating that they would not be taking my dialysis machine on my return flight because it did not meet their weight regulations of 70lbs!

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 1990 says that airlines can’t discriminate against people with disabilities on U.S. and foreign flights. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has rules under the ACAA to help people with disabilities travel by air especially those traveling with an assistive device such as a portable dialysis machine.

Magnet software improves field-based quality reporting and data handling for larger files, graphical processing, and 3D models. Magnet Field features more visual- and map-based workflows in addition to menu-driven functionality popular with power users.

“US Department of Transportation (DOT) document which was designed to implement the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986. This 16 page document (14 CFR Part 382) outlines “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel”. http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/382short.pdf

Advanced UltraTrac prism tracking combines optical sensing with a new ultrasonic motor control algorithm designed to maintain superior prism lock.

Luckily, I had the Disability Hotline number with me . The hotline staff was also upset on my behalf, because an airline cannot change travel arrangements they had already agreed to while a passenger is en route. Within a short time, Cape Air called me and said they would “make an exception this time” and take my machine on their return flight because they rearranged some of their inventory, but “would not be able to do it again.”

An optional upgrade incorporating hybrid positioning technology helps advanced users get instant location updates via GNSS receivers so positioning data points can be captured, even with the loss of line-of-sight from job site obstructions.

I had to leave the meeting to take her call because I was very upset, shaking, and feeling as though my life was being threatened. After some heated discussion I said, “ You cannot leave a disabled women standing in the middle of the St. Louis Airport with a dialysis machine—a treatment I need every day to stay alive—with nowhere to go! ” She said she would get back to me.

“Guidance on the Transport of Portable Dialysis Machines by Travelers with Disabilities”. http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/notice-portable-dialysis-machine

Some tips for flying with a portable dialysis machine from a Life@Home article on Home Dialysis Central:

The speed, tracking and accuracy of the GT series, combined with the intuitive software system, creates a flexible solution capable of satisfying the technology needs of surveyors and contractors performing survey, layout or machine guidance projects, Topcon said.

Heading to the AAKP meeting in Las Vegas, I booked a flight from Quincy, IL to St. Louis, MO for travel on Thursday, September 25, 2014 with Cape Air, a commuter airline with small planes. I contacted the corporate office in advance to explain that I would be taking my dialysis machine on the plane. The NxStage machine in its travel case weighs 100lbs, and Cape Air had taken it before. Their representative checked with someone and said, “ Yes it would be ok to take,” and we discussed the weight and size of the machine and how it would work. The representative contacted the Quincy Airport staff to let them know the machine would be on the flight. They stowed the machine in the back of the cabin and all went well with the flight from Quincy to St. Louis.

Topcon Positioning Group has debuted a new series of robotic total stations for survey, construction and machine control applications. The GT-1200 and GT-600 total stations are available in multiple accuracy levels.

The new the GT series of total stations are part of a full workflow solution, including a new field computer, a full-version update to Topcon field and office software and GNSS receivers. The system is designed to work in sync for improved performance and better data handling with built-in, field-to-office connectivity.

As it turned out, taking the machine on the flight did not even seem to affect Cape Air’s ability to carry a full plane of passengers: