MEDICA 2024 | Big data is coming and we’re going to be monitored

By Sade Sobande, Luana Zerafa and Evangeline Loh

Emergo by UL attended MEDICA 2024. It is always a great opportunity for those in the healthcare field to descend upon Messe Dusseldorf.

Touted as one of the largest medical trade fairs with the tagline “Where healthcare is going,” it never disappoints.

Healthcare Innovation World Cup

Opening day included the Healthcare Innovation World Cup^®, in which Emergo by UL served as a jury member. The Top 12 Health Techpreneurs and Top 3 VWR pitched their solutions. Many of the companies showcased products that involved sensors collecting data. The data would then be analyzed and used for health monitoring and prognosis.

The range of sensor-based solutions showcased at MEDICA underscored the increasing role of AI-driven data analytics in revolutionizing patient care.

Sensor-driven health insights

The transformative potential of AI and big data analytics in healthcare was on full display, with numerous products featuring advanced sensors capable of gathering data from diverse locations on the body (as well as implanted). These sensors monitor a wide range of parameters, generating vast datasets, often processed with AI to provide analytics, enhanced diagnostics, personalized treatment plans and prognostic assessments.

There was almost no end to the ingenuity of the type of data that the sensors collected, and the assessments performed. However, the clinical data that existed to support performance and clinical outcomes were not always clear. This highlights an ongoing need for rigorous validation, including clinical trials, to substantiate the clinical benefits of these solutions.  

Automotive health is the next frontier

There was also the provocative exhibit from the Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics (PLRI): “Vehicle interior can be turned into a medical diagnostic room.” The vehicle, currently brand agnostic, has sensors in the steering wheel, seat, seatbelt and a camera in the interior. When queried if the automobile was a medical device, Professor Dr. Thomas Deserno responded without hesitation, “Yes.”

The concept, as presented by Dr. Deserno, was that our mobile phones had been transformed into medical devices, and the vehicle was next. This vehicle medical device would monitor ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, heartbeat, breathing rate, and body temperature.

Concluding remarks

From wearable and implantable sensors to automotive health applications, we humans continue to revolutionize healthcare and delivery models. These innovations signal a future where continuous health monitoring and predictive diagnostics are embedded into our environments. The vehicle as a medical device is truly innovative and exciting.

Emergo by UL continues to marvel at the brilliance of medical device manufacturers and the continual opportunities posed to global regulatory strategy.