CLOUD56 - Scalable Cloud Architecture for 5G/6G RAN and Industrial Applications

The Chair of Medical Engineering (mediTEC) focuses on Virtualized Assistance Functions in the Operating Room and Clinic. This work package demonstrates the benefits of 5G/6G campus networks and Cloud RAN deployments for the application of connected medical devices in the operating room through three use cases. The 5G campus network is extended to the demonstrator operating room at the Chair of Medical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Selected clinical assistance functions are transformed into containerized services in hybrid cloud-edge deployments, making them available to all connected operating rooms and treatment rooms.

The individual use cases are:

Use Case 1: Wireless Ensemble Formation

Ensemble formation is essential to enable medical devices to communicate with each other in an open-networked operating room. Devices are associated with each other based on predefined characteristics (position, tags, etc.), creating a device ensemble. An SDC communication, according to ISO IEEE 11073 SDC, can and may only occur within such an ensemble. Especially critical is the association of devices through proper authentication and identification of users and devices.

In the networked operating room, mobility and wirelessness in particular pose new challenges for IT security. Data and devices must be correctly assigned to each other, and no faulty ensemble must be created during patient transport. This work package, therefore, investigates methods for wireless ensemble formation using 5G and SDC.

Use Case 2: Video Streaming

The wireless networking of an endoscopy device cart presents exceptionally high demands. Virtualized applications for video signal processing are used, allowing the processing of the video stream with various clinically relevant image filters and enabling image-based predictions (classification, detection, segmentation, interpretation, etc.). The result of the clinical applications can be displayed to the user in the operating room on a central monitor during surgery.

A robust 5G connector is integrated into an operating room device cart, and the corresponding data stream in the network (Quality of Service) can be prioritized to prevent delays or failures with increasing network load. This presents a challenge, as the requirements for low latency and high data rates often conflict with traditional 5G application profiles (eMBB, URLLC). The result is the processing of video data in the edge cloud instead of using costly redundant hardware in operating rooms. On-site, there would be a shift towards pure sensing and display devices.

Use Case 3: Voice Control in the Operating Room

Based on machine learning algorithms, voice control in the operating room is developed, enabling the safe and user-friendly control of medical devices through simple commands. Complex instructions for application configuration are also possible. The goals include determining acceptance criteria, installing a voice control solution as an edge cloud deployment, universal command recognition, dynamic device control, function assignment, and testing response time and accuracy for technical terms. Use cases range from assigning functions to specific device buttons to fine-tuning medical devices through spoken instructions. An edge cloud deployment reduces latency and eliminates the need for computing clusters in the operating room.