By Cosylab
Cutting-edge treatments like particle therapy and FLASH demand real-time and safety-critical solutions for the future and FPGA and PLC technologies can deliver them. In Proton and Radiation Therapy (PT/RT), simulation and test automation are vital for validating safety, timing, and control logic. At Cosylab, we use our expertise in FPGA and Beckhoff PLC platforms to deliver robust and testable control solutions tailored to medical environments. Using Beckhoff’s TwinCAT ecosystem, Cosylab applies tools like TCUnit for structured PLC unit testing, TwinCAT Scope for real-time signal tracing, and TwinCAT Plastic for modular code versioning. We use tools like NCI (Numerical Control Interface) for motion systems to simulate complex, multi-axis movements, which is ideal for rapid prototyping patient positioning, gantry, and couch workflows. FPGAs complement PLCs by enabling ultra-fast simulation of real-time operations such as beam feedback and dose control and their deterministic execution and integration with co-simulation tools like MATLAB/Simulink supports hardware-level validation under clinical constraints. Together, these platforms form a powerful test environment aligned with IEC 60601-1, IEC 62304, and IEC 62366, supporting safe, efficient, and standards-compliant RT system development.
