The Department of Technical Physics has secured new Business Finland Research to Business funding for the ER4Surgery project. Led by Professor Pasi Karjalainen, the overall budget of the project amounts to 684,174 euros. The project seeks to create new research-driven business that has potential for growth and internationalisation.
The ER4Surgery project examines the commercialisation potential and possibilities of a surgical software solution that is powered by a video feed processing method developed by the University of Eastern Finland and the Microsurgery Centre of Eastern Finland. The solution has been developed by Neurosurgeon Ahmed Hussein and Postdoctoral Researchers Paavo Vartiainen and Mastaneh Torkamani Azar.
The method combines, in real time, video feeds obtained from digital microscopes, endoscopes and other cameras routinely used in surgery, and shows them on a single screen. This single-screen view provides the surgeon with better visibility of the tissue that is being operated as well as of the adjacent areas. The core algorithm for the method has already been developed and, during the project, this set of algorithms and software solutions will be turned into a technique for examining the feasibility and advantages of the method in different fields of surgery.
As an early-stage commercial solution, the identified uses of the method include surgical development and use in surgical training centres. After the R2B phase, it is possible to launch business activities in this go-to-market, while simultaneously moving forward in the regulation process in order to enter the final target market, i.e., clinical surgical operating rooms in health care units. The commercial potential of the method on different continents, especially in Europe and the US, has been explored during the early phases of the project. The goal is for the method to enter international markets.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Pasi Karjalainen, tel. +358 40 355 2546, pasi.karjalainen@uef.fi
Er4surgery - Expanded reality for minimally invasive and image guided surgery
