Digital transformation is not just a “buzzword” for the German Armed Forces; digital transformation is part of the daily agenda. It is therefore only natural that a dedicated military innovation unit—the Cyber Innovation Hub—explicitly deals with innovative projects and bridging the gap between the Bundeswehr and the startup world. The bridge to HappyMed was built in the second half of 2021 when the Bundeswehr was looking for digital methods for audiovisual sedation during operations and “stress reduction” for soldiers and patients.
Dr. Sophie Wilk-Vollmann, resident in anesthesiology at the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Berlin, contacted the Cyber Innovation Hub with a specific problem. A method was being sought for “stress reduction” and “calming” without the additional use of medications. After in-depth research and a call for tenders, the choice fell on the HappyMed Video Glasses, a stress-reducing application with a convincing complete package.
30 HappyMed Video Glasses systems acquired
Dr. Wilk-Vollmann leads the project within the Bundeswehrklinik Berlin and explains the following in this regard: “Our 30 HappyMed Video Glasses systems will primarily be used in the field of anesthesiology, intensive care, and emergency medicine. Our plan is to evaluate the application under various aspects. Furthermore, we see additional areas of application in relaxing soldiers during stressful foreign deployments and during repatriation of the wounded.”
Needs assessment at the Cyber Innovation Hub
“In order to identify potential needs, pin down a problem, and find a suitable solution, a method was developed that, on the one hand, enables all colleagues to address a challenge and, on the other hand, ensures an orderly process during the problem-solving phase. This path was also taken when the exchange between HappyMed GmbH and the Bundeswehr occurred,” explains First Lieutenant Christoph Ritschel from the Cyber Innovation Hub.
Focus on practical testing
Innovative projects are tested, wherever possible, directly at the scene of action or where the need arises. That is the most important maxim of the Cyber Innovation Hub. After all, it is about achieving realistic results that are not created under “laboratory conditions,” we also learn from First Lieutenant Ritschel. This approach facilitates subsequent implementations and also provides cost savings.
HappyMed founder Philipp Albrecht is confident regarding a nationwide deployment
“All evaluations of the HappyMed Video Glasses have shown very good results so far, so I am confident that other Bundeswehr hospitals and units will also benefit from the stress-reducing and medication-saving advantages of the HappyMed Video Glasses in the future. Of course, it makes us very proud that the German Bundeswehr chose us as a partner,” says HappyMed CEO Philipp Albrecht regarding the “state of the nation” ;-).
