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Surgical instruments · where we started
“Shazam” for surgical instruments.
Our research began in hospitals, at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Place an instrument on the scanner and it is recognised, with no engraving, chips or tags. Our focus today is physical keys; this market comes later.
Lab prototype
98.9 %
of instrument types recognised: which kind of instrument it is, not yet which individual piece. Next: 99.95 %, then each individual piece.
The problem in hospitals
The problem
Hospitals still check instruments by hand.
After every surgery, staff check each instrument one by one before it is sterilized again.
50K+instruments per hospital, every day
15–30 sto check one instrument by hand
Missing itemsincomplete sets cause the most trouble
No marking
Works on old instruments too.
Fits in
Works with the hospital's existing software.
Why now: EU rules require a unique ID on every reusable instrument, and the EU database becomes mandatory in 2027.
How we compare
| What it checks | No marking needed | Knows each piece | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcode / DataMatrix | a printed code | no | yes |
| RFID tag | an attached tag | no | yes |
| Camera AI | the shape | yes | type only |
| Object Fingerprint | its physical properties | yes | type today, each piece in testing |
RFID is faster for reading many tagged items at once. We win where items can't be marked.
Hospitals and sterilisation departments
Interested in working with us?
Tell us about your department and we'll get back to you.