Medical technology is a key growth sector in Japan and Germany. It is of great strategic importance in a health-conscious society. Also, the health systems in Japan and Germany face similar challenges, for example, steadily increasing demands due to demographic change.

In the medical market, the photonics industry is seeing new product launches that have specific requirements for health applications. Europe is a source of both application markets and innovative technologies. The session on laser and photonic applications, organized and carried out in cooperation with EPIC, shows examples from developers of photonic medical devices and their supply chains.

In Deutschland sind aktuell etwa 1,7 Millionen Menschen an Demenz erkrankt. Um sie und ihre Angehörigen nachhaltig zu unterstützen und Pflegende dauerhaft zu entlasten, arbeiten wir mit Hightech-Firmen im ZIM-Netzwerk KMU4DEMENTIA an innovativen Produkten, wie technischen Assistenzsystemen und softwarebasierten Konzepten. Ein Beispiel ist die korrekte Interpretation des Gemütszustandes bei Patienten mithilfe künstlicher Intelligenz.

Smart products are becoming a reality in more and more markets - including medical technology and health. The key technological pioneers in this development are intelligent sensors that not only collect data, but can also interpret and communicate. The market for medical technology is developing rapidly. Medical products are increasingly focusing on the patient and are becoming more and more functional and intelligent.

Das Zusammenspiel von IT und Mikroelektronik macht neue und effizientere Analysemethoden in Forschung, Diagnostik und letztlich der Patientenversorgung möglich. Durch eine schnellere und leichter zugängliche Diagnostik über Point-of-Care-Plattformen können schon während der Wartezeit beim Arzt Ergebnisse vorliegen. Dadurch kann eine mögliche Krankheit besser behandelt werden.

The miniaturization of the dimensions, the precision of the components with their increasing variety of shapes and greater functional integration are the keys to future developments. They are also influenced to a large extent by new technologies that originate from materials engineering and physical process engineering.

Nicht nur die akuten Inzidenzwerte leeren die deutschen Büros. Es ist offensichtlich: Covid-19 macht die Welt digitaler. Ideen, die schon lange in der Schublade waren, wurden und werden jetzt vielerorts umgesetzt. Hemmungen gegenüber neuen Technologien und Arbeitsmethoden werden überwunden. Fragen Sie sich auch manchmal, ob das alles gut und nachhaltig ist? Oder werden wir nach Corona wieder in die alten Muster verfallen?

The Corona crisis has turned the world upside down and shown us once again how dependent we are on key technologies such as microtechnology and nanotechnology. These technologies support the fight against Corona, for example, in the field of rapid diagnostics, in the low-cost production of miniaturized components for urgently needed medical devices and in the development of vaccines.

Individual patient care is becoming increasingly important. On the one hand, this saves valuable resources, for example in terms of medication and diagnostic tools, and on the other hand helps to provide targeted medical treatment for patients' ailments.

Laser direct structuring (LDS) is a special success story. For almost 20 years, it has been possible to apply electronic conductor paths directly onto plastic parts during series production. LDS enables the production of electronic assemblies with flexible geometric shapes. This process enables electronic products, such as smartphones, sensors or medical devices, to become even smaller and more powerful. Automated manufacturing processes also make this process more economically attractive.