At the MEDICA exhibition in Germany, a global medical equipment exhibition, various digital medical devices such as motion recognition, artificial intelligence, and IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) were showcased, showing that non-face-to-face and non-contact technologies are spreading.

The 53rd Medical Equipment Exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany (MEDICA 2021) was held for four days from November 15th to 18th at the Messe Dusseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Despite the COVID-19 situation, this event featured approximately 3,100 companies from 70 countries exhibiting approximately 10,000 types of medical devices in 14 exhibition halls with a total area of 69,000 sqm (exhibition booths), and over 50,000 visitors visited the exhibition hall during the exhibition period.

This year's MEDICA saw a significant increase in interest in medical devices that incorporate non-face-to-face and non-contact technologies, with many companies focusing on non-face-to-face technologies due to COVID-19. Furthermore, numerous forums focused on medical devices utilizing IT technology and IT Health also drew significant attention.

In particular, it is possible to detect patient behavior through motion recognition.We shared the latest trends by holding various forums, including a demonstration of a smart robot that moves and understands, real-time medical data management through 6G, and smart robots.

In addition, a Start-up Hall was set up in Hall 12 of this year's MEDICA, with around 50 startup companies participating. They showcased digital medical devices applying diagnostics, IoMT (Internet of Medical Things), AI, VR, mobile, and wearables, and a forum introducing their technologies and products was also held.

Meanwhile, the Korea Medical Devices Industry Cooperative (Chairman Jaehwa Lee) participated in this event by forming a Korean pavilion.

The Korean pavilion organized by the Korea Medical Device Association was graced by companies that have participated for many years, including Xenoray (C-arm type X-Ray), Nanum Tech (Automated External Defibrillator), IDS LTED (Co2 laser), Hyundai Meditech (electric drug infusion pump), and Wonjin Trading (limb compression circulation device).

Additionally, new participants such as Wootsaem (negative pressure carrier), New Live (personal combination stimulator), and Biot Korea (automatic COVID testing system) participated, showcasing a variety of products from a total of 71 Korean medical device manufacturers.

The union's promotional booth, where various activities were carried out to support the expansion of exports by Korean companies, was visited by approximately 200 buyers from European countries including Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, Turkey, and Russia, as well as the US, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and Qatar.

In addition, we expect that meetings with buyers who are not usually encountered at exhibitions, such as those in Switzerland, Slovakia, and Colombia, will continue, diversifying the market for Korean medical devices.

The union operated a promotional booth in the equipment and consumables departments. We promoted participating companies and products, and supported exports to Europe by arranging on-site 1:1 matching meetings between buyers visiting the Korean Pavilion and participating companies.

Nam-Kwon Cho, Executive Director of the Korea Medical Devices Industry Cooperative, added, “As many domestic manufacturers are having difficulties entering the European market due to the change in European medical device regulations from MDD to MDR, we will explore various support methods together with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Federation of SMEs to further advance into the European market, taking advantage of the opportunity to have the quality of Korean products recognized due to COVID-19.”

The 2022 German Medical Equipment Exhibition (MEDICA 2022) is scheduled to be held for four days from November 14 to 17, 2022.