A wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Fujifilm India is one of the pioneer imaging technology companies offering Photo Imaging, Medical Products, Graphic Arts, Recording Media and Industrial Products, to diverse business and end-user requirements.

The information and communications technology (ICT) is having an enormous impact on businesses across sectors, and healthcare is no exception. Spurred by new advances in technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) in which devices and appliances have Internet connectivity and ICT functions built-in, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), ICT is revolutionizing the healthcare sector in new and exciting ways.

These technological innovations are driving healthcare across the world. The widespread adoption of ICT in modern healthcare and its delivery methods are changing at an ever-increasing rate. Innovations and the development of ICT today act as a critical element in transforming the conventional healthcare to digital healthcare. These innovations are standardizing the modes of intervention and improving quality of life, life expectancy, treatment options and cost efficiency.

The ubiquitous access to networks and data created by ICT offers enticing opportunities for reducing costs of service, raising effectiveness of interventions, and improving access to healthcare. Leveraging these technologies, we at Fujifilm are driving our own waves of innovation and generating accessible and user-friendly experiences to people. By focusing on innovation, we are bringing innovative solutions to healthcare which will significantly alter how care is provided to patients.

The new ICT innovation in photography is Image Organizer, a photograph analysis technology that can automatically identify what humans tend to view as the best shots in a set of photographs. This solution was developed by applying machine learning (the emulation of natural human learning processes by a computer with the goal of enhancing analysis capabilities) to massive digital photo files. ICT technology was also an integral part of the development of SYNAPSE VNA, a medical integration archive system that can centrally store and manage diagnostic images and videos, allowing them to be shared within a medical facility and among multiple facilities.

Among the many important ICT initiatives, materials informatics is expected to have a particularly strong influence on the products and services going forward. A new approach to materials development based on big data analytics, materials informatics searches vast quantities of data for materials that will exhibit desired properties in specific products. This method can even help optimize the combination of multiple materials in a formula in order to realize the needed performance characteristics.

In the past, experimental and analytical materials data was managed by various businesses within a firm. With innovation in ICT, it is currently being organized in a companywide database so that it can be conveniently accessed by all and analyzed automatically by AI to identify materials with desirable properties. Working to make this efficient system a reality, companies are seeking to shorten the lead time required for laboratory experimentation and bring advanced products to market much sooner.

As technology evolves, companies are prioritizing the development of new products, services, and businesses in key business areas of healthcare and highly functional materials

One example of a product that can benefit from this system is photoresists, which make possible the formation of circuit patterns on a silicon wafer or other substrate in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Tech firms are in the process of developing AI that can automatically calculate the performance parameters of a photoresist formula containing multiple materials. In the fast-moving semiconductor industry, the ability to present photoresist candidates to customers sooner will be a significant advantage.

As the IoT continues to develop quickly, tech firms are staying ahead of the curve. For example, EXCLEAR sensor film for touch panels is an important material that makes possible touch control on smartphones, tablets, and other devices. As IoT gains further traction, EXCLEAR could have an even wider application: integrating this film into everyday items could make touch control more widely available while allowing the gathering and analysis of data on human motion for a more people-centered and customized usage environment. Devices and appliances could literally learn to respond to people's individual usage styles. Further, IoT will significantly change the functioning of healthcare ICT systems by improving information sharing wirelessly.

Many companies are also developing ICT technologies for the benefit of operators of medical systems and their patients. Gathering operation data in real time can help predict and prevent equipment issues. Moreover, advanced systems with ICT functionality could distinguish problems arising from normal wear from operator error. This data could be fed back into R&D and used to produce predictive maintenance protocols and systems with even more robust failsafe functionality. The final goal is always human-scale medical systems that are ready to take on real-world conditions. The development of advanced data analysis tools would help to strengthen the healthcare services.

As technology evolves, companies are prioritizing the development of new products, services, and businesses in key business areas of healthcare and highly functional materials. By leveraging new technologies, successful new initiatives are being launched which is creating new value. This burgeoning deployment of ICT capabilities has evolved into the concept of several innovative products and services. Both patients and healthcare providers stand to benefit from these new waves of innovations while companies can see wonderful business opportunities. With ICT revolution opening new opportunities, both the government and industry needs to develop appropriate vision to optimize these innovative technologies for the benefit of citizens. A collaborative approach is need of the hour.