Future technologies and continuing education for the healthcare sector: RPTU at MEDICA 2025
From secure wireless infrastructure in hospitals to digital twins of patients – at this year's MEDICA, RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau will be demonstrating how science is contributing to the digital transformation of healthcare. The corresponding research projects are feasibility studies that demonstrate the potential of the upcoming 6G mobile communications generation. From 17 to 20 November, RPTU will also be providing information about its part-time distance learning program in “Sports and Health Technology.” Anyone interested can visit the Rhineland-Palatinate research stand in Hall 3 (stand E92).
In the “Sustainable Technologies for Advanced Resilient and Energy-Efficient Networks” (SUSTAINET) project, an interdisciplinary and international team – with the participation of RPTU – is working on new concepts for secure, efficient and sustainable data transmission. One use case being investigated is the medical environment. The aim here is to design wireless networks in such a way that they support the ever-growing number of mobile devices in hospital operations in an energy-efficient, secure and reliable manner.
Christoph Lipps, Team Lead Cyber Resilience & Security, explains: “Together, we are working, among other things, on implementing artificial intelligence methods in so-called edge-based applications in order to automatically determine who wants to transfer which data, when, with what priority and according to which security requirements. This contributes to the dynamic control and secure (data) operation of communication networks.”
A particular focus is on the data protection-compliant handling of health data: in addition to classical cryptography, the team is researching innovative methods that use the physical properties of the radio channel to increase security and authenticity. In addition, they are developing methods that transmit data only when clinically relevant changes occur – saving energy and shortening response times. The result is a sustainable, resilient network infrastructure that is also equipped for future 5G and 6G systems.
The connected patient: Digital twins for personalised medicine
With the concept of the connected patient, RPTU is researching the next stage of digital healthcare. The goal is to develop medical digital twins – virtual representations of patients that are continuously fed with real-time data from wearable sensors and other sources. These digital counterparts enable doctors to monitor health status more precisely, detect changes at an early stage and tailor treatments to individual patients.
The central components here are intelligent, body-worn sensor systems and the integration of AI processes directly on the end devices – an approach that will be made possible by future 6G mobile networks. The network topology, which determines how the data flow is organised, corresponds to a ring layout: “In this setup, the sensors are connected in a closed loop, which enables efficient and reliable data transmission. Each sensor communicates directly with its neighbour, ensuring low latency and high fault tolerance,” says Jan Herbst, who is part of the research team.
In this way, RPTU is creating the technical infrastructure for medicine that not only reacts but also acts proactively and predictively.
Contribution to the 6G Platform Germany
Both research projects are carried out under the umbrella of the 6G Platform Germany, which is coordinated by Professor Hans D. Schotten, Head of the Chair for Radio Communication and Navigation at RPTU and Scientific Director at DFKI. The goal of the project is both to make scientific contributions to the conceptual design of 6G and to ensure the scientific and organisational support of the processes necessary for the successful implementation of the German-European 6G programme.
Study while working: Master of Science in Sports and Health Technology
In addition to the research projects mentioned above, RPTU is also presenting a forward-looking distance learning programme at MEDICA. The part-time master’s programme “Sports and Health Technology” combines content from sports science, health and computer science and is aimed at professionals who want to work at the interface between technology and healthcare.
“The interdisciplinary focus of the continuing education programme enables professionals to bridge different fields, develop innovative solutions and thus prepare them for the digital future,” explains programme manager and sports scientist Dr Eva Bartaguiz. Throughout their studies, distance learners engage with topics such as data processing, artificial intelligence, human–machine interaction, biomechanics, sports medicine, statistics and project management. They also learn how to conduct testing procedures and develop data-based training and therapy recommendations – all with an emphasis on practical applications, in particular the use of sensor-supported training equipment and diagnostic procedures.
The programme is designed to be completed alongside work, largely independent of location and time. The learning units can thus be flexibly integrated into everyday life.
Outlook
With its contributions at MEDICA 2025, RPTU is demonstrating how technological innovation and academic continuing education go hand in hand – for a data-secure, more resilient and patient-oriented future in healthcare.
Press contact:
Klaus Dosch
Department of Technology, Innovation, and Sustainability
E: klaus.dosch(at)rptu.de
T: +49 (0)631 205-3001