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Global Aging Challenges and Opportunities in Smart Healthcare

The global elderly population is growing rapidly, leading to an increasing demand for care while facing the severe challenge of a shortage in caregiving manpower. To address this, advanced countries are incorporating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into healthcare, aligning with future medical development trends. By leveraging smart care and big data analytics, they aim to develop smart healthcare comprehensively, manage health effectively, and delay the onset of disabilities. This approach not only mitigates the impact of an aging society but also fosters the booming market for healthcare technology products.

Taiwan's Competitiveness in the Smart Assistive Devices Market

In the smart care medical device industry, the market for assistive devices and auxiliary technologies continues to grow. Taiwan's production processes for mobility and rehabilitation aids are well-developed, making these products globally competitive exports. By combining its expertise in ICT with Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, Taiwan is developing smart assistive devices and seeking cross-industry collaborations to spur further innovation.

MEDICA Exhibition and Trends in Smart Assistive Technology

MEDICA is the world's largest and most comprehensive medical equipment exhibition. An analysis by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) from the 2019 MEDICA in Germany identified three major trends in the development of smart assistive technology: integration with wearable devices, development of digital rehabilitation equipment, and a focus on elderly care technology.

Types of Wearable Device Applications

The applications of wearable devices can be categorized into four types:

1. Digitalization: Enables home rehabilitation treatments by analyzing patients' upper or lower limb rehabilitation exercises through sensors, ensuring movement accuracy and tracking rehabilitation progress.

2. Gamification: Offers interactive treatments to increase patient motivation for rehabilitation.

3. Intelligence: Assists patients in customizing rehabilitation programs.

4. Virtual Reality: Provides patients with immersive rehabilitation experiences.

Diverse Development of Digital Rehabilitation Equipment

The diverse development of digital rehabilitation equipment is steering rehabilitation towards smart solutions. In elderly care technology, the primary focus is on "fall detection and prevention." By combining various sensors and wireless communication antenna technologies, systems have been developed that feature indoor positioning and fall alert notifications to reduce accidental injuries. To prevent the risk of elderly individuals going missing, wearable devices (such as watch-type physiological monitoring devices) use Bluetooth positioning beacons combined with imaging equipment. This technology collects positioning information through Bluetooth base stations and transmits it back to a backend system to confirm the person's location and provide timely assistance.

Development of Remote Medical Systems in the Post-COVID-19 Era

The post-COVID-19 era has accelerated the development of various remote medical systems and the establishment of cloud platforms. Driven by the need for remote and mobile solutions, disease treatment and monitoring have become focal points in product development. The healthcare industry is moving towards smart decision-making and disease prevention.

Taiwan's Opportunities in Smart Care

As the saying goes, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." With a strong foundation in industrial and ICT sectors, Taiwan is well-positioned to utilize assistive technology to alleviate burdens and fully develop smart care. This represents a significant business opportunity for Taiwan's future development. By integrating various antenna designs with IoT concepts, these devices not only provide precise positioning and data transmission but also support the development of additional AI applications for subsequent care services.