Mannheim Living Labs and Offers by the Core Partners

Fraunhofer IPA operates a fully equipped experimental hybrid operating room as a technology development platform on the campus of the University Medical Center Mannheim (UMM). The setup mirrors the one used in actual patient care at UMM, enabling an optimal replication of real-world OR processes, including the involvement of appropriate specialist staff. The hybrid OR is equipped, among other things, with an X-ray-compatible operating table, surgical lighting and a Siemens Artis Zeego, has access to PACS and a modern 5G infrastructure, and enables research and development work on a wide range of technical and biological phantoms. As part of projects within Fraunhofer IPA's “Health Technologies and Processes” research area, the hybrid OR is made accessible to companies. In addition, in-house developments in automation and assistance systems take place there, feeding synergistically into R&D initiatives.

MedTech startups and companies develop innovative products that can significantly ease the lives of patients and the daily work of nursing staff and physicians. However, making a digital health device, medical product or app ready for use in real-world care requires an intensive development period. The earlier feedback and assessments from the intended user groups are taken into account, the more precisely product development can proceed. Since the MDR came into force, medical technology companies also increasingly need real-world data to demonstrate the clinical benefit and safety of their products. To this end, the INSPIRE Living Lab builds a bridge between industry and clinical practice. Located at the heart of the Mannheim University Hospital, this living lab gives companies, SMEs and startups the opportunity to test products – before they reach market maturity – with real patients, physicians and nursing staff in an actual ward setting. The IT, data protection and compliance departments can also be consulted. The ward regularly cares for patients from the orthopedics and urology departments, and 20 beds are currently in active use. To enable thorough product testing, modern technical infrastructure has been set up in the medical and nursing areas as well as in the patient rooms, allowing for the efficient and safe development of health applications. Through close involvement of users, direct feedback from subject-matter experts, and targeted data collection in the clinical setting, the product development process can be optimized.

The Mannheim Medical User Experience and Usability Innovations Lab (M²AXI Lab) serves as a controlled environment for the evaluation and testing of digital products in the field of medicine, such as medical devices, software and mobile applications. The M²AXI Usability Lab is located at the heart of Mannheim University Hospital, which makes it easier to work directly with stakeholders relevant to medical products, such as medical staff and patients. The facility is open to start-ups, medium-sized and larger companies, as well as scientific research groups. The usability lab can be used at various stages of medical product and software development and testing – both to review user-friendliness and, for example, to test the effects of design changes. The tests give developers direct feedback on the usability of the respective product at an early stage, before it goes into series production. In this way, the lab and its scientific expertise can help improve the usability of new medical technology products before they reach the market.

As a core partner of INSPIRE, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences contributes its expertise from a range of research areas, primarily on topics related to its research mission statement “Healthy Living and Quality of Life.” Various technology platforms within its research and competence centers offer opportunities for collaboration.