Researchers from the University of Leipzig, Charité Berlin and other partners such as Vodafone have completed a three-year project on networked healthcare. The project investigated how the upcoming 6G mobile communications standard can speed up medical processes and help patients, according to the participants. The "6G Health" project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with almost 13 million euros.
The project investigated, among other things, how patient data can be transmitted in real time and how augmented reality can help people to find their way around hospitals independently. Another point was the networking of medical devices with each other.
The project has shown that 5G, 6G and digital technologies can strengthen the healthcare sector, explained Ralf Irmer, Head of the Vodafone Tech Innovation Center Dresden. Staff can be relieved and patient safety increased. This would also help in view of the shortage of skilled workers.
The new 6G standard is to be introduced from 2030. The task now is to turn the concepts and prototypes developed in the project into products that can be used in practice, explained deputy project manager Clemens Möllenhoff.
