Upcoming Events @ FTI Festival

A hip prosthesis that fails more often in women, a pulse oximeter that measures less accurately on darker skin tones, an inhaler that is harder to use for elderly patients. Bias in medical product development is rarely intentional, but the impact on patients is real.

In this talk, the D4SMD team walks you through the mechanisms behind these issues and how they are addressed in practice. Using concrete examples, we show how co-creation and a structured design approach help bring more inclusive medical devices to life.

How do you make medical devices more sustainable without compromising on safety, quality, or regulatory compliance? In this workshop, D4SMD researchers guide you through emerging sustainability requirements for medical products, and show how value chain actors and stakeholders can collaborate to translate sustainable design choices into practice.

Using concrete examples, we demonstrate how co-creation accelerates innovation and helps prepare medical technology for the future.

From 17 October to 8 November 2026, the Nekkerhal in Mechelen is transformed into a 5,000 m² immersive discovery world where visitors experience how technology, innovation and creativity are shaping the future of Flanders.

More than 95,000 visitors — from young people and families to schools and businesses — will discover the innovations of tomorrow. The D4SMD project participates in the VLAIO expo as an example of how Flemish researchers are working towards more sustainable medical technology.