Application scenarios
Mobile ultrasound scanner in emergency use and for remote consultation
5G networks can send high-definition video of what's happening in the ambulance and the patient's condition to the control center and hospital in real time, allowing better preparation for patient admission. Ultrasound has long been an indispensable part of modern emergency diagnostics.
Disinfection robot
Disinfection is playing an increasingly important role in healthcare due to the Corona pandemic. Operating rooms and intensive care units can be disinfected using UVC radiation. Disinfection by means of the robot achieves a very high disinfection performance (90%) compared to manual disinfection (50%). The robot moves completely autonomously, and operation is intuitive by a nurse/cleaner using a tablet. The robot is integrated in the 5G network and thus a continuous network connection is guaranteed.
Use of robotics in healthcare
The inpatient care sector is particularly affected by demographic change and a shortage of skilled workers. Service robots, such as robot Pepper, have the potential to support and relieve nursing staff in their daily work in terms of time, body and information. The 1.20 m tall humanoid robot Pepper is able to interact directly with nursing staff, patients and those in need of care. With the help of motion sensors, interaction sensors omnidirectional wheels, Pepper can move around and respond to voices. On its chest, Pepper has a classic tablet that can be used to view images, play videos, access websites or conduct video conferences. Concrete applications will be implemented and tested in various scenarios. The Pepper robot is being tested as an orientation aid that can accompany patients as well as visitors to the desired ward or provide information about consultation or visiting hours. Furthermore, it will be tested to what extent Pepper can be used for televisits and patient care.
Automated guided vehicles
Driverless transport systems are already used in many places in industry. Now it is time to use the potentials of this technology for healthcare as well. By storing building structures, the AGV can move autonomously and be used for logistical tasks by detecting and avoiding obstacles.
To relieve nursing staff, bed transports, food carts, medical (consumable) supplies, or other items could be transported by the AGV. This would enable nursing staff to use the time they gain for their actual task - caring for and attending to patients. By using it in a 5G network, route changes could be organized via the fleet manager and the AGV would reliably execute them. Safety-related signals could also be transmitted to the AGV in real time and reliably, which would ensure safe use.
Teleconsultation
The use of innovative care systems, such as telemedicine systems, is intended to make more efficient use of resources and counteract medical underuse. One approach to ensuring medical care, explicitly in structurally weak regions, is the televisit. Televisits enable networked service provision between telemedical assistance and physicians in the patient's home environment. A telemedical assistant is a non-physician specialist with an additional qualification to perform delegable activities.
As a rule, medical assistants or nurses perform this task. They carry out home visits in the form of televisits on behalf of the physicians. On site, a mobile terminal and various digital measuring devices, such as a mobile ECG or otoscope, are used to record and transmit data. These can be used to collect relevant vital signs of patients and transmit them directly to the respective healthcare facility. These systems enable the monitoring of patients in the home environment.
Use of robotics in healthcare
The intelligent use of robotics solutions will make it possible in the future to sustainably relieve medical staff in healthcare. The service robot Temi is capable of storing building structures and orienting itself independently according to its programming. This results in various application scenarios for the healthcare of tomorrow. Using an associated app on a smartphone or tablet and a stable, nationwide 5G network, Temi can be summoned to a patient's bedside to either provide the patient with medication or remind him or her via text and voice to take medication or drink enough. In addition, it will be possible for medical staff to communicate with the patient via video telephony. Such a scenario would be conceivable in nursing homes, for example, which do not have any medical staff on site themselves and can still have medical contact directly at the patient's bedside with the help of Temi. It would also be conceivable to support wayfinding systems with Temi. Let's assume that the service robot would be standing by at the gate of a hospital and visitors could select on the display where they would like to go. According to the selection, Temi would independently guide the person to the desired destination and then return to its starting point.
Virtual Reality
In healthcare, virtual reality technology can be used in the context of imaging or even teaching. MRI and CT scans are used to create and virtualize 3D models of organs. This model of the segmented organ can then be virtually analyzed and evaluated using a VR system. This should make it easier for the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and minimize the risks during the operation.
Trainees can safely practice various scenarios of critical situations in virtual rooms and complex contents can be made vivid. The use of VR glasses in teaching provides students with a new teaching medium. Anatomical structures can be experienced in 3D and internalized independently of the prep course and anatomy teaching in self-study.
The high data rate of 5G enables wireless transmission of the large amounts of data required for VR, and the low latency of 5G means that computationally intensive processing can be performed in the cloud.