• The winning projects in Hack the Hospital – 5G Transatlantic Lab, Boost Board and Squishy, were presented within the framework of the MWC21
• Both projects will be implemented in real hospital environments in Barcelona and Boston during the coming year
• The initiative was organised by MWCapital, the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona, the Boston Children’s Hospital and Garage Stories, and had support from Cisco, IBM, GSMA, CaixaBank, Barcelona Tech City, MedVR, 5G Barcelona, Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya

Today, within the framework of the MWC Barcelona 2021, the winning projects in Hack the Hospital – 5G Transatlantic Lab were presented. This hackathon took place a month ago, between Barcelona and Boston, to design new innovative solutions to improve the stay of adolescents in hospital.

The winning projects were Boost Board and Squishy. Boost Board aims to encourage social interaction in hospitals so as to improve the mood of the patients. Faced with situations such as reduced mobility or the risk of infection, the solution uses Augmented Reality to allow patients to exchange interactive messages and generate leisure spaces through co-creation with their ward-mates. The contents of the first prototype will be designed in collaboration with real patients.

As for Squishy, it aims to help patients continue with their lives outside the hospital. Using a 360º camera –which, thanks to sensors, detects and transmits emotions, the patient’s family and friends will be able to create real-time experiences so that the patient can experience first-hand some of the situations they miss the most such as a family meal or a trip to the beach with friends.

The event hosted a round table on innovation and adolescents. Taking part in this were two representatives of Kids Barcelona, young people who accompanied the groups taking part in the hackathon and were part of the assessment process of the projects presented, and Begoña Nafria, coordinator of the group and of the Patient Engagement in Research Area at Sant Joan de Déu. Also, speaking remotely were Manel del Castillo, managing director of the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, and Kate Donovan, innovation coordinator at the Boston Children’s Hospital.

According to Eduard Martín, CIO and director of 5G at Mobile World Capital Barcelona: “We want this partnership between Barcelona and Boston to encourage initiatives and turn them into healthcare improvements for adolescents in both hospitals using 5G technology and Extended Reality. This project is a clear example of what we can achieve when we work as a team. We have a very clear objective and we are going to work together to achieve it. We hope, in a few months, to be able to say that, thanks to technology, we have been able to help large numbers of adolescents who are hospitalised”.

Success of the initiative

The hackathon was organised by MWCapital, the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona, the Boston Children’s Hospital and Garage Stories, and had support from Cisco, IBM, GSMA, CaixaBank, Barcelona Tech City, MedVR, 5G Barcelona, Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The challenge focussed on patients between the ages of 12 & 17, and the teams chose from five principal themes: socialisation, mental health, education, entertainment and family life. There were more than 200 participants who formed mixed groups between Barcelona and Boston, and more than 50 solutions were presented.

A large part of the success of the initiative was down to teamwork, receiving help from the young patients from the two hospitals, international mentors and speakers. Also, during the two weeks prior to the hackathon, a programme of activities was set up specially designed for the participants with internationally renowned experts in research, innovation, and technology such as Big Data, IoT and XR. Among them, the presence of Google, Walt Disney Studios and research centre such as MIT in Boston, Harvard and NYU (New York University) stand out.

The importance of technology in the health sector

The current situation means that, now more than ever, the contribution of all actors is key to overcoming the crisis: a crisis that requires a focus on health. This sector has been subjected to unprecedented levels of stress that have demonstrated the limits of the structures in many countries. Throughout this process, technology will be an indispensable tool for scientists, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs, amongst others, so as to keep providing added and differential value.

Technology offers new possibilities for the health sector. Two of the most obvious examples, possible thanks to 5G, are the improvement in the management of medical emergencies and connected operating theatres that allow the sharing of knowledge and techniques between professionals from different medical institutions. Public-private partnerships are a key element in this process, redefining and discovering new applications for the sector. It is necessary to promote the creation of synergies between entities with the sole purpose of having an impact on the quality of patient care.