Diverse medical technology research activities presented to practitioners

In his welcoming speech, Vice President Prof. Dr. Holger Timinger emphasized the importance of the transfer between science and practice and expressed his appreciation to all participants for the diverse and challenging projects and topics that were presented here. He thanked the event initiator, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Remmele, the supervising professors, the students and graduates as well as the external partners for their commitment. The event was intended to provide an overview of the many topics that are being worked on in the field of medical technology at Landshut University of Applied Sciences, mostly in cooperation with companies or medical institutions, and also to show what cooperation between the university and practice can look like, explained Prof. Dr. Stefanie Remmele (spokesperson of the Medical Technology Research Department). And this succeeded impressively.

An interdisciplinary team of professors from different faculties teaches and conducts research in the field of medical technology at the university, and the topics of the 24 posters presented in three sessions were correspondingly diverse. The authors presented their posters in a short pitch before there was an opportunity for follow-up questions, discussion and personal contact with the poster authors. Topics ranged from the development of mixed reality methods and tools in the operating room and AR-guided liver intervention to AI-based sign language recognition and 3D-printed individualized hand orthoses and the synthesis of fluorescently labeled DNA sequences to standardized processes in camera systems used in dermatology. Among the authors were doctoral and undergraduate students from various faculties, bachelor's and master's programs and semesters, who presented the results of their final theses and projects.

However, the aim was not only to show the wide range of topics, but also to enable contact with the many representatives of companies and institutions present. And this opportunity was lively used, as the numerous intensive discussions at the posters and also with the present professors showed. It was also particularly pleasing that among the representatives of the practice there were many graduates of Landshut University of Applied Sciences - among others of the biomedical engineering course - who had successfully started their careers and wanted to intensify their contact with the university again. They and representatives of other companies also made active use of the opportunity to present current job advertisements to young scientists and to establish personal contact in meetings. 

In addition to the awarding of student research projects and theses, companies and institutions can also benefit from joint research projects. In a short presentation, Prof. Dr. Andreas Breidenassel explained what a sponsored research project in cooperation between university and practice can look like. This was illustrated by the example of the "DeepPPG" project to increase the robustness of PPG signal acquisition. When vital signs are recorded by wearables such as smartwatches or fitness wristbands, which are also used in medicine, the so-called PPG method (photoplethysmography) is usually used. This can lead to signal interference if, for example, the sensors slip during movements.  Therefore, Prof. Dr. Breidenassel initiated a research project with the aim of reducing the susceptibility of the PPG signal to interference and thus enabling more accurate measurements of wearables in medical applications.

The project was funded by the "Strukturimpuls Forschungseinstieg" funding program with a total of 250,000 euros over a period of 3 years.  Already in September 2019, they had started with the planning and finally submitted an application, which with 10 pages plus appendix had been relatively unintrusive in this funding program. Until the approval in November 2020, another 1 year passed, the project started on January 1, 2021.  

In addition to the university, partners in the project are the photonics company ams-Osram and the University of Freiburg. The majority of the money goes towards the salary of a research assistant at the university who is working on his dissertation through the project. The technical supervision of the work is carried out jointly with the partner, the University of Freiburg.  The practical partner ams-Osram has provided valuable assistance, in the form of state-of-the-art semiconductor components that are not yet available on the market, as well as the use of its excellently equipped laboratories, as Prof. Dr. Breidenassel emphasized. Together, the progress made in the project was discussed again and again, and the results were finally published and presented at specialist conferences. Another positive side effect was that the project enabled students to carry out further bachelor's and master's theses with their finger on the pulse of practice. 

Here you can find more information about the event series Poster Symposium Medical Technology as well as about the research area