Ultrasound tech firm MedaPhor Group has started work on a new augmented reality (AR) after the confirmation of its Innovate UK grant.
The grant of £466,000, which was conditionally announced in November last year, was awarded as part of Innovate UK’s Digital Health Technology Catalyst competition.
It will part-fund the development of MedaPhor’s NeedleGuide product, which the group believes has the potential to revolutionise interventional ultrasound-guided needling.
“We are delighted to have officially started this new phase of product development,” said chief technology officer Nicholas Sleep. “NeedleGuide has enormous potential to improve patient outcomes, reducing the time and cost of these difficult procedures.
“We believe that this technology could reduce the cost of needling to all hospitals and have significant export potential as a new and world-leading digital health technology.”
The NeedleGuide product, which is in the early stages of development, combines existing technology developed by MedaPhor, with expertise brought to the group through the recent acquisition of Intelligent Ultrasound Ltd.
The augmented reality headset projects the ultrasound view over the patient’s anatomy, highlighting the pathway the needle needs to follow to the target and then automatically tracks the needle tip to ensure that the operator is always aware of the needle’s position in relation to the key anatomical structures.
This minimises the potential for user error and offers the opportunity for considerable savings to the hospital.