The Careful Edge X research project came to an end in December 2025. Under the consortium leadership of C&S Computer und Software GmbH, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, the FAPS Chair at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Hermann Bock GmbH, and Medisana GmbH developed digital solutions designed to relieve the burden on nursing staff and enable those in need of care to enjoy greater safety and self-determination.

Digital care reimagined – decentralized, efficient, and data protection-sensitive

The challenges in nursing care are enormous: a shortage of skilled workers, increasing organizational requirements, and a growing number of isolated digital solutions that hardly communicate with each other. This is exactly where Careful Edge X came in. »The goal was to develop technologies that support routine tasks without creating additional work,« explains Caroline Reßing, project manager at Fraunhofer IMS.

At the heart of the project is a GAIA-X-compliant, decentralized edge system network consisting of an intelligent nursing bed, nursing robots, sensors from various partners, and the MCD digitization platform from C&S. Vital data is processed contactlessly, securely, energy-efficiently, and directly at the point of origin: a decisive contribution to data protection and relief in everyday nursing care.

Key milestones

Between October 2022 and December 2025, the following results were achieved, among others:

• Contactless vital sign monitoring, such as heart rate and respiration, via bed, robot, and tablet
• Edge processing instead of cloud dependency – energy-efficient, data-saving, and GAIA-X-based with maximum data protection
• Integration into the MCD care platform
• Practical testing in the smart care room

Close communication with caregivers, users, and specialist agencies was also key to ensuring that the technology was consistently tailored to needs.

The project was presented at numerous specialist events, including the Digital Technology Days (2024), the ProCare Trade Fair in Hanover (2025), the Digital Technology Forum Roadshow (2025), and the AI & Data Summit Berlin (2025). The response clearly showed that the need for practical, intuitive, and data protection-friendly digital care aids is greater than ever.

Looking to the future

The modules developed in the project, from contactless vital data collection to edge-based AI functions, have the potential to be incorporated into series products such as nursing beds, robotics systems, homecare solutions, or the MCD platform. Project manager Reßing: »We would like to thank all partners, test subjects, and nursing staff who made the project possible. Together, we have laid the foundation for digital care that is effective, relieving, and humane.«

The Careful Edge X project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) under grant number 01MD22006B.

Further information on the project can be found here: https://carefuledgex.de/