Digital twins for the future OR

The challenge

In modern operating theatres, numerous medical devices from different manufacturers are used simultaneously. However, as these devices do not usually communicate seamlessly with one another, this leads to inefficiencies and additional costs.

For hospitals, this means significant effort in device management, maintenance and logistics, often without full transparency regarding utilisation or availability. For healthcare professionals, the lack of interoperability makes it difficult to monitor all device statuses simultaneously, which hinders the analysis and optimisation of clinical processes.

Manufacturers, in turn, have so far had only limited insight into the actual use of their products. As a result, they lack reliable data for targeted further development, for meeting regulatory requirements and for demonstrating compliance with sustainability criteria. Overall, the lack of connectivity leads to suboptimal workflows, more difficult quality assurance and a slowdown in the pace of innovation.

How we will help

The ORTwinConnect research project addresses these challenges by developing cross-vendor digital twins for a seamlessly connected operating theatre environment. Through the intelligent networking of all surgical devices, active workflow management and a comprehensive surgical and device memory, we create added value for all stakeholders: healthcare professionals benefit from optimal support in their daily surgical practice, hospital management gains complete transparency and data-driven decision-making, whilst manufacturers can tap into new opportunities for innovation through the use of open standards.

As part of ORTwinConnect, XITASO GmbH is providing the technological core for the overall project by developing and validating a standards-compliant software reference platform for digital twins of medical devices. Working within an interdisciplinary project team comprising researchers, software developers and UX experts, XITASO is developing a transferable, scalable architecture for the digital representation of physical devices and their interactions in a clinical context. The resulting demonstrators will be put into operation in the networked demo operating theatre of the research partner ICCAS at the University of Leipzig and made available to the DIIC Community in Reutlingen.

Technologies