At the Smart Health Automation Summit 2026 in Düsseldorf, it was clear that automation, AI and robotics are no longer just a vision for the future of the healthcare sector. These technologies are already forming the basis of practical solutions and, in light of demographic change, are becoming increasingly necessary.
Gillian Trombke, Ferdinand Ptak, and Simone Wünsch were on site representing TestSolutions. In addition to exciting presentations from the fields of research, clinical practice, outpatient care, industry, and robotics, the event focused above all on personal exchanges, in-depth discussions, and new perspectives on the future of healthcare.
The key takeaway from both days is as follows: The healthcare and medical sectors are already under significant strain. Shortages of skilled workers, increasing documentation requirements and an ageing population are further exacerbating this situation. One quote from the summit sums it up: 'We’re getting older, but we’re not ageing healthily.' An increasing number of people require long-term medical care and nursing support, while available human resources are becoming increasingly scarce.
A common theme in many presentations and discussions was that automation should relieve the burden on healthcare professionals, rather than replace them. The aim in healthcare is to reduce the time spent on documentation, searching for information, transporting patients and carrying out repetitive activities, while freeing up more time for patient care.
This is also shifting the perspective on technology in healthcare. AI and robotics are not being discussed as ends in themselves, but rather as a means of stabilising processes, supporting people and ensuring the long-term quality of care.
AI-assisted diagnostics was an impressive example of this. At the summit, it was reported that AI can detect signs of disease long before they become visible to the human eye. In mammography, for example, this can contribute to an early detection rate that is almost 20 per cent higher. Such figures do not represent abstract efficiency gains, but rather the potential for earlier diagnoses and better treatment outcomes.
The presentations made it clear just how prevalent automation and robotics already are in healthcare today. Solutions for transporting specimens, beds, medical devices and other loads in hospitals were presented, among other things. Applications designed to support COPD patients in their daily lives and digital life story documentation for people with dementia also demonstrated the diversity of applications.
One vivid example was the new transport robot from NEURA Robotics, which can move hospital beds and other loads of up to 400 kilograms autonomously, while integrating into existing IT and logistics infrastructures. Equally exciting was the presentation, 'Automation with Robotics in Healthcare: More Innovation for More Humanity”, given by Wassim Saeidi of the United Robotics Group. Among other things, uMe was introduced as a humanoid robot; our colleague Gillian Trombke was able to test the voice interaction feature on-site to measure his vital signs. Such solutions demonstrate that automation is not limited to laboratories or futuristic scenarios but addresses various challenges in everyday hospital life.
The insight into asset management in hospitals was also valuable. When nursing staff spend a significant proportion of their shift searching for equipment or supplies, the potential benefits of digital tracking, sensor technology and greater transparency become clear. Digitalisation can help to reduce waste, improve procurement planning and free up valuable time in daily work routines.
While many solutions are promising, the Summit also revealed why automation projects in healthcare often fail. Technology isn’t always the biggest obstacle. Often, the challenges lie in the fundamentals, such as a lack of network coverage on the ward, unsuitable system interfaces, unadapted processes, structural constraints, and a lack of acceptance among the people who are supposed to work with the systems.
Therefore, an important point was the role of organisation, change, and participation. Anyone who wants to successfully implement automation must not only digitise processes, but also rethink them entirely. Technology must fit into existing workflows or meaningfully enhance them. It is precisely here that the difference is made between a good idea and a robust solution for everyday use.
Medical Service Design was presented as an approach to systematically address the challenges of change. The focus here is on ensuring that digital solutions are developed with users’ needs in mind from the outset, through involvement in the design, testing, and improvement phases.
Several examples highlighted how valuable automation can be when it specifically complements human work. For instance, a rehabilitation robot like 'Thery' can assist patients with gait training after surgery by adapting to their pace, providing guidance and documenting exercises. It does not replace specialised therapeutic staff. Instead, it enables them to devote more time to personalised care, professional assessment and targeted support.
The “Helga” robot, which is used in paediatric surgery and was presented by the Fraunhofer IPA and the LMU Medical Centre in Munich, also demonstrated how technology can support repetitive observation and monitoring tasks. For instance, children with mild concussions require monitoring over a set period. Such applications highlight the potential of assistive systems when meaningfully integrated into medical workflows.
The key message is this: The medicine of the future will become more technical, but it can also become more human as a result. When technology takes over routine tasks, healthcare professionals have more time for conversation, attention, professional assessment and individualised care.
As software, AI and robotics take on more responsibility in healthcare, we believe that robust quality assurance becomes increasingly important. After all, in healthcare settings, a system must do more than just function in demo mode. It must be reliable, safe, traceable and accepted for use in the real world.
This includes, among other things:
In the life sciences sector in particular, quality assurance is more than just a technical step at the end of a project. Rather, it is a central component of successful transformation. Trust can only be established among clinical staff, organisations, partners and patients, and during audits, when systems are reliably tested, integrated and monitored.
The Smart Health Automation Summit 2026 was a compact yet valuable event, offering in-depth discussions and powerful insights into the challenges facing the healthcare sector. The message was clear: given demographic changes and the shortage of skilled workers, automation and robotics are set to become central to medical care.
While we will likely have to wait a while longer for a universally applicable humanoid robot capable of handling everything from nursing care to rounds, much is already possible today. However, many other things are already possible today. The current focus is on integrating existing innovations into everyday life safely, reliably, and widely.
For us at TestSolutions, this is precisely the key point. Technology is evolving rapidly. For it to have a lasting impact, quality assurance, testing, an understanding of processes and trust are required.
There is no alternative to automation in healthcare. Its success, however, depends on how well it is tested, integrated, and accepted by people.
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TestSolutions provides support for quality assurance, test strategy, validation, and testing of complex software, AI, and automation systems.