The alliance between medtech and 6G marks a revolution in healthcare. As medtech pushes the boundaries of connected medical devices, telemedicine and artificial intelligence in diagnosis and treatment, 6G promises to amplify these advances with ultra-fast connections, near-zero latency and a massive capacity to manage data in real time. Together, these technologies will pave the way for more personalized, accessible and proactive healthcare with innovation. This technology partnership could transform the way we conceive and experience ultra-connected healthcare.
What is medtech ?
Medtech refers to the application of new digital technologies to the medical sector: artificial intelligence, surgical robotics, big data, 3D printing to improve diagnosis, treatment, disease management and, more generally, healthcare.
In a nutshell, “it aims to develop medical technologies, including medical devices and software, based on expertise in engineering, robotics and IT.”
This is the medicine of the future ! This sector brings together 250 000 companies in Europe, and could reach sales of 40 billion euros by 2030.
The fusion of medtech and 6G technology
Today’s healthcare system is on the brink of implosion, facing considerable challenges such as constant pressure on costs, excessive bureaucratization of treatment processes and a shortage of specialists. Medtech, combined with 6G technology, is improving healthcare processes in :
Pathology treatment:
- « 3D printing of patient-specific medical models to help surgeons anticipate and validate the best treatment for a patient.”
- “The digital twin: integrating and modeling each person’s medical data using computer biosimulation to test their body’s response to different medical approaches”
Patient care :
- Augmented reality surgery for training surgeons, and collaboration during remote operations thanks to 6G, with virtually non-existent latency.
- Patient monitoring: real-time remote monitoring of vital signals collected from patients. This sensor technology will be combined with advanced 6G network intelligence.
Smart hospital: networking medical devices and communications infrastructure for a digital, networked hospital. 6G enables new types of process, making treatment and logistics more efficient and safer.
A concrete example :
On September 11, 2024, a world first was achieved. A surgeon in Bordeaux operated on a patient with a tumor more than 8,000 kilometers away in China, using telesurgery. The feat was achieved with the help of robotic arms controlled by the surgeon. Despite the continents separating the surgeon from the patient, the operation was a resounding success, thanks to 6G technology, which enabled a time lag of 132 milliseconds between the robot’s commands and movements – an interval “imperceptible to the human eye”. This success opens the way to many new prospects, provided we have the technology to make it happen.
https://www.vde.com/topics-en/health/consulting/6g-networks-in-medicine-and-medical-technology
https://www.pagepersonnel.fr/recrutement/life-sciences/medtech