There’s plenty of potential for VR and AR in healthcare, but how might people use it, specifically? Surgical planning could become easier. Even the most experienced surgeons sometimes encounter surprises when operating on patients, but these high-tech solutions may make those instances less common. Researchers have investigated using VR to educate patients before their surgeries, too. For example, a person can see a digitized version of their brain, along with the problem a surgeon needs to fix and how they will do it. Beyond teaching patients about the procedures they need, VR and AR can help surgeons plan their interventions, making them less likely to encounter surprises or feel unprepared. Some technologies show digital information appearing on top of a patient’s body in real-time.

Areas of ALVO interest:- Surgical professional's assistance- Medical education (professionals + patients)

115 million – that’s the number of steps that the exoskeletons of Ekso Bionics, a California-based company founded in 2005, helped paralyzed people take that otherwise would not have been possible. Their robotic structures are used by individuals with various degrees of paralysis stemming by a variety of causes, but mainly spinal cord injury, as well as by various industry players for strength enhancing purposes. Its Ekso GT suit won FDA approval in 2015.Now, that’s just the beginning of the glorious conquest of the exoskeleton market. Researchers estimate that the global market is already worth more than $125.6m and generates well over $100m in revenue each year, but its size is expected to hit nearly $1.9bn by 2025.

Areas of ALVO interest:- Surgical professional's assistance - surgeons during long-lasting cases- Patients rehab- Elders daily activity support

The impact of robotics on medicine is undeniable. The success of Intuitive Surgical’s Da Vinci system has spurred a number of commercial ventures that have attracted large financial investments, such as Mako Surgical, Auris Medical, Medorobotics, and Mazor Robotics, and these efforts will continue their drive to improve health care in terms of both outcomes and costs. Recently, Google and Johnson & Johnson have teamed with the intention of creating next-generation medical robot systems. Although the clinical robotic systems used to date are assistive and lack any real autonomy, this will certainly change. As our understanding of how to use robotics in the clinic matures, we will continue to develop a deeper understanding of how to create more intelligent, more capable surgical robots. For example, future robots will enable procedures not yet possible, and some will begin taking over portions of the surgical procedure from the surgeon, such as is described in Shademan et al. (2016)

Areas of ALVO interest: - Surgical field assistance and robotization - Hospital processes automatization - transportation, daily routines, patients care, area decontamination 

Companies that can provide safe, secure and reliable IoT medical devices will reap the rewards, while those that fail to do so will miss out on a market, also known as the Internet of Medical Things or IoMT, that is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.9% by 2025. The IoT is slowly starting to weave into healthcare on both the doctor and patient fronts. Ultrasounds, thermometers, glucose monitors, electrocardiograms, and more are all starting to become connected and letting patients track their health. This is crucial for those situations that require follow-up appointments with doctors. Multiple hospitals have started to utilize smart beds, which can sense the presence of a patient and automatically adjust itself to the correct angle and pressure to provide proper support without the need for a nurse to intervene.

Areas of ALVO interest: - Intelligent, data-driven surgical theater devices communication - Devices presetups and intelligent adaptat ion to teams individual preferences - IoT-based remote service and information gathering

Drones have the ability to gather real time data cost effectively, to deliver payloads and have initiated the rapid evolution of many industrial, commercial, and recreational applications. Unfortunately, there has been a slower expansion in the field of medicine. This article provides a comprehensive review of current and future drone applications in medicine, in hopes of empowering and inspiring more aggressive investigation.

Areas of ALVO interest: - Flying surgical surgical technology based on drones capabilities - Intra- and campus transportation system for medical institutions - Telemedicin

More than 28% of older people living in their own home fall each year. 44% of those falls happen in their own home.

Each year more than 3 million old people are treated with broken bones and head trauma in the US alone.

In some cases old people spend days waiting for anyone to notice, resulting in suffering, worsening of symptoms, or even death. Many people who fall, even if they’re not injured, become afraid of falling. This fear may cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. When a person is less active, they become weaker and this increases their chances of falling.

With smart water meters, it’s possible to generate enough data to understand when a person is in need of attention within hours instead of days.

KAMSTRUP is looking for online platform solutions as warning system for emergencies.

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